A Lifetime Ago
by MissMy80sShows
Summary: An enemy from their past has come back to haunt Lee and Amanda. This story was co-written with Karen LaManna. Part 1 of 2 COMPLETE 9/4/19
1. Prologue

**A Lifetime Ago**

**Prologue**

"Patience," the man dressed in black reminded himself as he watched her from his vantage point across the street. The tall, dark-haired woman walked briskly in the cold air of the early winter evening. Her coat was pulled tightly around her, and she walked with purpose down the sidewalk toward the small ranch home at the end of the street. She knocked on the door and disappeared inside. Several minutes later, a man stepped outside and stopped to light a cigarette, the red glowing tip the only color in the monotone of dull winter hues around them. He climbed into a common brown sedan and drove off.

The man in black waited for over an hour until the woman appeared again. She stepped out into the cold once more, her long skirt whipping around her shapely legs as the wind blew. She turned the collar of her coat up to protect her neck as she walked back to her car parked across from where the man in black watched. As she neared her car, he watched her adjust her purse on her shoulder and pull her keys out of her pocket before he stepped out of the shadows. When the gloved hand covered her mouth with a handkerchief, she struggled against him, twisting and turning, trying to break free of his grasp. As her body finally slumped unconscious, the keys slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the ground beneath the car.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Twenty-four hours prior**

"Oh, Lee! She's breaking my heart," Amanda cried on the other end of the phone. "She hasn't stopped sobbing since I got here."

Lee frowned, "I know, I was afraid of that. She's just scared."

"She's just barely eighteen, sent to a strange country. She barely speaks English. The most I've gotten out of her coherently is home and sick," Amanda sighed.

"We knew this assignment wasn't going to be easy. I mean, her father is a high-ranking diplomat who wants to defect but won't do anything until he knows she's safe," Lee reminded her.

He could hear Amanda shuffle the phone around, then in a muffled voice, "Charlotte, I'll be right there." In a louder voice she said, "Lee, I have to go. She's panicking over a sound she heard outside. It was just a trash can but she's so scared."

"Go. She needs you," Lee commanded gently.

"But so do you," Amanda groaned softly.

Lee closed his eyes and exhaled, "I'll be all right. The boys are with Joe tonight, I'm just planning on working late. Less time for me to miss you at home."

"I love you, Sweetheart," Amanda sighed. "I'll check in tomorrow morning."

"Stay safe. I love you," Lee replied before he heard the soft click of the phone dropping onto the receiver. He stared at the phone in his hand before hanging it up slowly. He opened the top file on his desk and stared at the pages before him. "Declassifying time," he announced with a groan.

Lee flipped through the folders piled on his desk. He opened one file, skimmed the pages, initialed the bottom, closed the file and moved it to another pile. One file caught his attention and he stopped to read Amanda's handwritten notes. "That damn ring," Lee muttered with a chuckle. He initialed the page and added the file to the pile to his right. Flipping through several more files he shook his head as he skimmed another. "Alan Chamberlin…wonder what he's up to these days," he muttered before signing off on his file. He covered nine more files before he was startled by a loud knock on the door. "Yeah?" he automatically called out.

"Hey, Billy needs us in his office, ASAP," Francine stated as she opened the door.

"For what?" Lee asked.

Francine shook her head, "I don't know. Something's going down and the Marshalls are looking for our help."

"Marshalls? Why do they need us?" Lee questioned as he stood.

"Billy just told me to come up here and get you, so let's get a move on before he blows a gasket," Francine gestured with her hand for Lee to move faster. Together they descended the stairs to the empty Georgetown lobby to the elevator.

"Maybe someday they'll figure out a way to speed this damn thing up," Lee joked.

Francine just rolled her eyes as the doors slid open and they pushed the jackets to one side.

"It's about time you two decided to show up!" Billy snapped several minutes later as they entered the bullpen. "In my office, NOW!" A hush came over the few agents still milling around the room as Lee and Francine walked the short distance. They both jumped when he slammed the door behind them. "We've received a request for help from both the state police and the US Marshalls. Five hours ago, several inmates escaped federal custody," Billy stated solemnly.

Lee knit his brow, "Why us?"

"For starters, the Marshalls are shorthanded with the summit this week. They've been all-hands-on-deck all over Washington," Billy explained.

"I can buy that. But why else?" Lee questioned.

"These are federal detainees that were on transport from one facility to another when this accident occurred. Your name was found in the pocket of the unconscious inmate found on the scene," Billy told him.

"What do you mean my name was found in his pocket?" Lee questioned. "Who is it?"

Billy shook his head, "I don't know who it is, but there's more."

"What more could there possibly be, Billy?" Francine interjected.

Billy pointed to a chair, "You might want to sit down for this." Lee sat down and looked up at Billy. "Amanda's name was also in his pocket."

Lee jumped to his feet, "What? Where do we go?"

"Here's the location," Billy handed them a sheet of paper. "Ask for Harris. He's expecting you and Francine to be there within the hour."

Lee read the information written on the stark white paper in his hand. "The 603 near Great Falls Park? What were they doing out that way?"

"I don't know, it's not my job to know. But it is your job to get out there and see what you can do. And that's an order!" Billy bellowed.

"Come on, Francine. I hope you remembered your bug-spray. We're gonna need it," Lee goaded.

Francine followed Lee and announced, "I'm driving. I don't trust that car of yours out on those backroads. Besides that, my boots are in my trunk."

"Are those your cowboy boots or the mudruckers?" Lee teased.

Francine grinned, "Keep asking those kinds of questions and they are going to be another kind of boot."

Lee laughed loudly as they made their way to her car parked on the second floor of the garage. They drove to the location, making good time with very little traffic impeding their progress. When they got to the scene, they were greeted by a yellow barrier blocking the road and a very loud state trooper yelling, "Keep back! Away from the barrier! Keep this area clear!"

Lee pulled out his badge and asked, "Where's Harris?" Francine handed her badge to the trooper as well. The trooper inspected their badges in the light of his flashlight then waved the light in the direction of a large tent set up further down the road.

"You can't miss him. He's got the yellow jacket on," the trooper said before turning back to the other bystanders. "You folks have to clear the area!"

Lee and Francine jogged closer to the tent and scanned the group of men standing there. One hulk of a man stood, barking out orders wearing a bright yellow emergency jacket. When he finally stopped instructing the group before him, Lee stepped closer to get his attention, "Harris? I'm Lee Stetson. This is Francine Desmond. We're from the Agency. We were sent over to help out."

Harris looked around then jerked his head to the side, "Follow me. It's quieter in the van." Lee guided Francine to follow and the trio climbed into the large van beside the tent. Harris closed the door and sat down on a fold-up chair. "You two weren't what I was expecting," he stated.

Lee looked at Francine then back at Harris and asked, "What were you expecting?"

"I'm not really sure. Not a prom king and queen," Harris stated.

"Prom king? What the hell kind of comment is that?" Lee snapped.

Francine stood, her hand on the latch to the door, "I guess you really don't need our help. Let's go, Lee."

"Sit back down, little lady," Harris instructed with a laugh. Francine glared at him until he stated, "Look, I'm sorry. I just needed to make sure you two could handle the unexpected. Because that's what this whole mess has been from the start."

"What do you mean, unexpected. I thought this was a case of a few escaped prisoners," Lee demanded.

Harris nodded, "That's what we thought as well, until thirty minutes ago when we discovered the one man we do have in custody is not a prisoner, but a transport guard. He's been unconscious since they found him, and his commanding officer just confirmed he was the second guard on this transport."

"I don't understand," Lee shook his head.

"Well, sir, when we found him, he was wearing an orange jumpsuit, and was wearing handcuffs and leg irons," Harris explained.

Francine rolled her eyes again, "So one of the inmates was smart enough to swap clothes with the guys. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. The question is, why didn't you know from the transport paperwork who the inmates in the van were in the first place?"

"That's just it. The paperwork is missing. As is the identification of the guard. The only clue we had was your name in his pocket. We've been trying to figure out who was supposed to be in this van for the last two hours but the CommandComs have been down. We finally got through to find out their facility is on lockdown because the entire system went offline just after the accident occurred. Turns out they had a fire in one of the generator buildings," Harris said.

"Okay, I'll buy that. So who's missing from the van?" Lee questioned.

Harris shook his head, "We have no idea."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lee slammed the car door closed, "I don't believe this!"

"Well, believe it because Billy said-" Francine began.

"I know what Billy said, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. It's…" Lee paused to look at his watch, "Almost midnight. The state police finally have their dogs on the scene and here we are at the federal penitentiary to try to find a needle in a haystack."

Francine put her hand on Lee's arm to stop him from walking away. "Harris explained the problem and the only way we're going to get answers is to get it from the warden here. So just stop complaining. The faster we get this info back to Harris, the faster we can go home," she reminded him.

"Yeah, well, I don't have to like it," Lee whined.

"Would you rather have stayed back there, wading through the mud and God only knows what else in the woods, looking for four currently unknown inmates?" Francine stated.

The muscle in Lee's cheek twitched as he clenched his jaw. "No, I guess not," he resigned. "Let's get this over with. I don't want to be here all night, either."

Francine pressed the buzzer before holding her badge up for the video feed. The guard on duty nodded behind the heavy glass and several minutes later, another guard arrived at the door with a set of keys. He let them enter, then immediately locked the door again behind them. "We can't even use the system to open the doors right now. Damn computers!" he scoffed. "We even had to revert to the old CVR cameras for now. Good thing they didn't disable those. Follow me. Cap is waiting for you."

Lee and Francine followed the guard through several locked doors, down a long dimly lit corridor until they reached a series of offices. Only one office had lights shining into the hall. "Hey, Cap. The agents Harris sent over are here," the guard called out as they stepped into the brightly lit office.

The warden stood slowly, "Thanks Ross, I'll take it from here." The guard nodded once then turned and left the office, the echo of his footsteps fading as he returned to his post. "I'm sorry to drag you folks down here at this time of night but with all of our systems down, communication has been difficult, to say the least."

"I understand. So what can we do to help?" Lee asked as he and Francine sat in the two leather chairs across from the warden's desk.

The warden exhaled loudly as he sat down. "Well, for starters, we're not really sure who you're looking for."

"Excuse me?" Francine asked incredulously.

The warden grimaced at her reaction. He held up seven folders and said, "It could be four out of twenty-eight different inmates. We had six transports go out this afternoon, to six different locations. We are having an overcrowding problem here, so the option was to move this group first. Then, when our entire system went down we have had very little communication coming or going. We can't identify anyone until we get confirmation the other twenty-four have been processed. I can't even get a hold of my men out there."

"Oh," Francine replied softly. "Well, when do you think you'll know who they are?"

"Best guess? Late tomorrow morning. The backup system is coming up slowly but not everything is working yet. We're doing our best, but I have no way to truly identify who these men are until I know the others have been delivered and processed to their new locations," The warden admitted.

Lee pursed his lips and asked, "So, what types of convicts were you moving?"

"Well, a few extortionists, a couple of counterfeiters, a mercenary, a computer hacker, two drug dealers, and the rest were your run of the mill criminals that crossed state lines which put them in federal custody," the warden rattled off.

"Great, it couldn't have been some poor slob that got caught stealing money out of his company. No, we got the potpourri of bad guys," Francine groaned.

Lee reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a business card. "Can you give us a call when you finally get that list together?" he asked as he handed the warden the card. "Our superior, William Melrose is listed on the back of the card as well, just in case we're not in."

The warden flipped the card over before he tucked it into the leather corner of his desk calendar. "I wish there was more I could do but right now, my hands are tied. I'll be in touch as soon as we have answers for you folks."

"Thank you. We appreciate that. We'll do everything we can to help find these men," Lee offered his hand which the warden readily shook.

"Right now, say a prayer my man doesn't die from his injuries. We already lost a good man tonight, I don't want to have to tell another wife she's now a widow from a freak accident," the warden said quietly.

Francine's head lifted at the comment about the accident. "Were the state police able to determine what caused the accident in the first place?"

The warden nodded, "A deer. The van hit a deer, swerved then clipped a tree and flipped over on its side."

"So there's a possibility that the inmates could have been hurt as well?" Francine suggested.

"There could be, but it's hard to say. From what Harris told us, the front of the van took the brunt of the accident and I'm not sure where everyone was sitting. They didn't find any blood in the back, only the handcuffs and leg irons," the warden explained.

Lee checked his watch and said, "Francine, it's getting late and we should probably get going. We can stop by the accident once more to check in with Harris."

"I'll walk you both down to the guard post. With all this brew ha ha, I can't even use the damn intercom system. The walkies aren't working. Heck, all the technology in this damn place and we have to walk from one end of the building to the other just to deliver a simple message," the warden complained as they followed him back into the dim hall.

Lee chuckled, "Did they figure out the cause of the fire here?"

"Rats," the warden stated.

"Rats?" Lee cringed.

The warden laughed at the look on Lee's face, "Yeah, they found a nest of rats in the building. They figured out they chewed through some of the electrical wires."

Francine watched Lee's face and teased, "Well, I guess it's a good thing we don't need to go down there to investigate, huh, Lee?" She covered her mouth to hide her smile when Lee glared at her.

"Here we are," the warden announced when they approached the guard post they had passed when they initially arrived. "Drive safe tonight. And tell Harris I'll be expecting some kind of update before the sun comes up. I don't care what it is, I just need an update."

"Will do, sir," Lee assured him before they were led through the now unlocked door to the outside.

Back in their car, Francine pulled onto the dark street and headed in the direction of the accident. "So, what do you think?" she asked.

Lee shook his head once, "I don't know. We could be searching for anyone or no one. Maybe Harris has found something in the two hours since we left him."

They arrived back on the scene to a smaller group of searchers and Harris still barking out orders. He spotted them immediately and waved them over to the tent once again. "So, was Cap any help?" Harris asked.

"No, sir. He's not sure who was on this van because they don't have confirmation from the other vans yet," Lee informed him.

"I was afraid of that. Well, the good news is the dogs picked up the scent of two of them and they are following the trail through the woods. I'm not sure how long that's going to last but it's a start," Harris stated.

Lee looked around at the tired faces of the men around them, "How long are you guys going to stay out here?"

"As long as we have a trail to follow. I'm sure Cap will want an update as soon as we have one. I'll send one of the guys over. Their phone lines are still down. I tried to call already," Harris said as he ran his hand through his unruly gray curly hair. Francine yawned into her hand, trying to be inconspicuous. "You two don't need to hang around. There's not much else you can do. I'll call over in the morning with an update and we can decide then what to do," Harris instructed.

Lee offered his hand and said, "Thanks. We appreciate that. We'll write up a report as best as we can for our superior and touch base with you in the morning."

"Stay safe," Harris stated with a sharp nod of his head before he turned and walked away.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Amanda blinked rapidly as she stood before Mrs. Marston, trying to remember the password of the day. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Marston. I've been awake all night and I just can't remember the password for today. I can tell you yesterday's and the one from the day before, but today's password just escapes me. This poor girl I'm working with, I think she's coming down with something more than just homesickness. She felt warm to me this morning when I left after the other agent showed up to take over," Amanda rambled.

"Mrs. Stetson," Mrs. Marston tried to interrupt but Amanda kept going.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she just sleeps for most of the day. Oh, she just cried and cried last night. And of course, her English isn't that good, and my German isn't much better so I couldn't help her very much except to just be there for her. And she's so scared of every little sound she hears," Amanda continued.

"Mrs. Stetson," Mrs. Marston tried again.

"I know I'm not supposed to forget the password. And I know you're not supposed to let me pass without the password. But it's been such a long time since I've forgotten, I'm sure you could let it slide, just this once," Amanda begged.

Lee had stepped into the lobby, unnoticed by Amanda during her ramble. He stepped up behind her, put his hand around her waist and whispered in her ear, "The password is Scarecrow."

Amanda jumped and by reflex, hit him squarely in the chest with the heel of her hand in the center of his solar plexus, effectively pushing him backward. When she realized who was beside her, she rushed forward to apologize, "Sweetheart! Oh, I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you? I didn't mean to hurt you. You scared me!"

"No, you didn't hurt me. You did manage to knock the wind out of me though," Lee wheezed. He coughed hard a few times, trying to catch his breath.

"I'm sorry. I've been working on my hand to hand stuff with Stanley and I guess I remembered more than I thought," Amanda explained. She turned to Mrs. Marston who was trying hard not to laugh at the pair before her. "Mrs. Marston, I believe the password for today is Scarecrow."

Mrs. Marston handed her a badge, shook her head and said, "Scarecrow, next time, remind your wife before she gets here, not in my office."

Lee chuckled, "Will do, Mrs. Marston. Amanda, what are you doing here this morning? I thought you were heading home?"

Amanda followed Lee up the stairs to the Q Bureau as she explained, "I am heading home to get some sleep. I was up all night with Charlotte."

"So I heard," Lee laughed.

"It's not funny. That poor girl is so lost. I thought I would drop off my report this morning, check-in with Billy, pick up a few things before I head home and get some sleep. I have to be back there tonight. I thought maybe I would teach her how to make some real American food, you know, burgers, hot dogs, French fries, mac and cheese maybe," Amanda said before yawning loudly.

"Hey, don't worry about Billy. I'll drop your report off to him. I'm headed down there myself in a bit. There was an incident last night after I got off the phone with you. Four federal inmates escaped after their van crashed but the problem is no one seems to know who they are yet," Lee explained.

"Four inmates escaped?" Amanda's eyes grew large. She followed Lee over to his desk and sat on the corner as Lee sat at his desk and pulled out the notebook he had in his jacket pocket, "Yeah, there were six different transport vans out, all heading to different locations. This particular van hit a deer. The driver was killed and one of the inmates was smart enough to swap clothes with the other guard who was knocked unconscious."

"Why did Billy send you?" Amanda asked as she stifled a yawn.

"Because they found a slip of paper in his pocket with our names on it," Lee explained.

Amanda's eyes widened, "What? Do they know who it is?"

"No, not yet. When Francine and I showed up, the state police were still looking for them, but the prison's entire communication system went down last night so they had no way of knowing which of the vans were checked in."

"Couldn't they have checked the guards who were driving and match up the inmates?" Amanda asked, her mind spinning.

Lee looked down at his notes then back at her, "You know what? I didn't even think of that last night and neither did Francine. You may have just figured out a piece to our puzzle!" Lee jumped out of his seat, gave her a quick kiss before sidestepping her, heading toward the door. "Amanda, I hate to run, but I need to find Francine and get back over to that prison. Call me before you leave tonight?"

"I will. Be safe!" Amanda called out, quickly adding, "I love you!" just before the door slammed shut. She laughed when the door reopened and Lee stuck his head back into the office to reply, "I love you, too. I'll talk to you later. Get some sleep." He hurried down the stairs to the elevator, leaving Amanda in the office alone. "I guess if I leave my report on his desk, he'll see it." She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a reminder note, thanking him ahead of time for bringing her report to Billy.

Amanda locked the office door and headed back down to the lobby. She handed Mrs. Marston her badge and thanked her before she stepped back outside into the cold air. She shivered slightly as she walked back to her Jeep, parked on the side street beside the agency. She was unaware someone was watching her from a small grey sedan. Amanda checked her watch and decided to head straight home otherwise she wouldn't get much sleep when the boys finally got home from school. She drove slowly, the sedan following her only a few cars behind. When she pulled into the driveway, she spotted Dotty outside, raking leaves.

"Mother! What are you doing? It's freezing out here!" Amanda exclaimed.

"I just wanted to finish bagging up all these leaves before it starts snowing. They said we might get a few inches this weekend," Dotty explained.

Amanda shook her head, "You should have the boys doing that. They're old enough."

Dotty laughed, "And I'm still young enough to do it myself, dear. How was editing last night? You look exhausted."

Amanda sighed, "I am exhausted, Mother. It was a very long night so I'm going to head inside to get some sleep before I have to go back tonight. It doesn't seem to end."

"What documentary are you working on now?" Dotty questioned lightly.

"Documentary? Well, it's the..." Amanda paused to think, "it's the swarming cycles of the locusts. IFF is trying to help the government determine if that could ever happen here."

"Locusts? As in the seven plagues of the Bible, locusts?" Dotty's voice tightened.

Amanda laughed, "Something like that, Mother. But don't worry, it's not going to happen here in Virginia."

"Oh, good," Dotty sighed. "You go get some rest. I'll do my best to keep the boys quiet this afternoon."

Neither of the women noticed the grey sedan cruise past the house slowly before pulling into the driveway several houses away. The driver just watched as Amanda disappeared into the house and Dotty continued to rake and bag the leaves. He backed out of the driveway and drove around the neighborhood until he found a spot on the street where he could watch the house from without being noticed.

Several hours later, Amanda woke up feeling refreshed, showered and called Lee at the office. "Hello, Sweetheart. Did you figure out who was in the van yet?"

Lee groaned, "No. We thought we had it until we found out that they did a last-minute switch with both drivers and several of the inmates. We're still waiting to hear back from two locations."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Amanda sighed. "Well, I'm leaving in a few minutes to head back over there. I hope Charlotte is feeling better than she was last night."

"Well, you take it easy. And don't forget your seven o'clock check-in," Lee reminded her.

"I know, I know," Amanda replied. "Did you remember to drop my report off to Billy earlier?" she asked.

Lee looked down at the report still sitting on his desk. "Of course, I did. Don't tell me you thought I'd forget?" he said quickly.

"Bring it down to him before you leave," Amanda stated.

"But how did you know…" Lee's began.

Amanda laughed, "Because I know you, Sweetheart. I'll talk to you at seven. Remind the boys to finish their homework before they start playing that new video game you got them."

"I will," Lee nodded.

"And don't let them talk you into getting pizza for dinner tonight. Mother's making a chicken and rice casserole," Amanda instructed.

Lee nodded again, "Got it. Anything else?"

"One more thing. Don't forget to-" Amanda started to add but Lee finished her sentence for her, "Take the trash out. I know when trash pickup is. And lights out for the boys is at nine-thirty."

"Sweetheart?" Amanda whispered.

Lee sighed, "Yeah?"

"Don't miss me too much tonight. Only one more night and then she's heading to Texas tomorrow afternoon and I'll be back home with you where I belong," Amanda said sweetly.

"I like the sound of that," Lee replied with a smile.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Scarecrow," Billy's voice barked through the phone. "I need you in my office ASAP."

"Sure, Billy. What's going on?" Lee asked as he stood, pulling his jacket on.

"I just got off the phone with your new buddy, Harris, from the FBI. It appears an old friend of yours is on the prowl," Billy snapped loudly.

"Who is it?" Lee asked, curious why Billy was upset by an escapee.

"I'll give you all the details in my office. And bring Amanda with you," Billy commanded.

Lee looked over at Amanda's empty seat and sighed. His thumb toyed with his wedding band unconsciously before he reminded Billy, "She's still working on that relocation. She's not expected back until tomorrow morning."

"Well, do what you can, dammit!" Billy snapped before slamming the phone down.

Lee cringed and hung up the phone. He straightened his tie and headed downstairs to Billy's office. He could see him pacing in front of his desk, talking to someone, which was never a good sign. Lee knocked, listened for Billy's bellowing voice to acknowledge him before opened the door and stepped inside where he found Francine sitting on the couch.

"Billy, you need to calm down. This isn't good for your blood pressure," Francine reminded him. Billy paced behind his desk, stopping only once to lean on the window sill looking out at the bullpen before he continued again.

"What's going on, Billy?" Lee asked nervously. He looked over at Francine who just shook her head.

Billy stopped pacing and scrubbed his face with one hand, "Alan Squires, AKA the Artful Dodger has escaped federal custody."

Lee's mouth dropped open in shock. "What? How? When?" He fired off the questions without waiting for a reply.

Billy leaned on the edge of his desk, "I just got confirmation today that Squires was part of the four-inmate transport van that was involved in the accident."

"And let me guess, they still have no leads on where anyone went, right?" Lee sneered sarcastically.

"From what the manhunt search came up with, they all went separate ways. None of the men had any ties to each other before or after this incident. Three of the four have been captured. Squires is still out there, somewhere," Billy replied solemnly.

Lee shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, "So now what?"

"Now, we get _our_ dogs on him. When is Amanda getting here?" Francine asked.

Lee gestured his hand toward the office door, "Amanda already made her final check-in for tonight. I won't hear back from her until morning. I'm not even sure how to get ahold of her. She's check-in only."

"Oh, that's right. She's working with the daughter of that diplomat that wants to defect. What was his name again?" Francine recalled.

"Fischer. Yeah, he said he wouldn't do anything until he knew his daughter was safe," Lee stated.

"Well, as soon as you hear from her, you get Amanda back here on the double. We don't need Squires trying to hunt her down. After all, you two were the ones who put him in prison in the first place," Billy exclaimed.

Lee tried to reassure him, "Look, Billy, I don't think we have anything to worry about with this guy. It's been what, five years. Amanda and I got married, we've moved, we have different cars. Heck, her boys aren't even in the same schools anymore."

Billy narrowed his eyes at Lee and said firmly, "I don't care if you both had plastic surgery to look like Sonny and Cher, I just don't trust this guy. I have a bad feeling about this, Lee."

"Duly noted," Lee stated. He glanced down at his watch then back at Billy. "Listen, I have to get home…" Lee's voice trailed off.

Billy nodded, "I get it. You've got the boys now. Just watch your back, Scarecrow. And if you notice anything, you call it in immediately."

Lee shook his head, "I got it. And as soon as Amanda checks in, I'll have her come straight here."

"Do you want a team at your house, just in case?" Billy asked as an afterthought.

"No, I don't think that's necessary. We have the alarm system, so once we're settled down for the night, no one will get into the house without the police knowing first," Lee stated. "I'll see you in the morning." He slipped out into bullpen as Billy and Francine continued.

Billy looked down at the message before him, "Francine, give Harris a call back. See if they have any other leads they want to share with our boys. We need to find Squires and fast. We don't need him stealing any more government secrets or sneaking out of the country. Make sure we have his picture flashed everywhere, train stations, airports, you name it. Let's clamp a net around DC so tight a flea wouldn't get through."

"Of course," Francine replied as she stood. "Should I set up an alert team in the event he's spotted?"

Billy sat back and thought for a moment, "That's not a bad idea. We don't know where Squires is heading or what he has in mind, but he's too resourceful to be dismissed. Keep me informed."

"Yes, sir," Francine stated before leaving his office. She spent the next hour on the phone, setting up the team and talking to Harris, gaining no additional information. "It's going to be a long night," she groaned aloud.

Lee drove home without incident. He found himself constantly checking his mirrors as he drove and as soon as everyone was settled down for the night in their rooms, he set the alarm code, arming the system. He fell into a restless sleep, his mind spinning with images from their last meeting with Squires. The alarm blared loudly the next morning, waking Lee with a start from another dark dream filled with flashes of the concubine ring Alan had given Amanda to a maze of concrete hallways and a hail of bullets around every corner. Lee slapped at the offending sound with one hand and rubbed his head with the other. He sat on the bed for several long minutes, resting his head in his hands, his elbows propped on his knees. He took several deep breaths before lifting his head. Slowly he climbed out of bed and padded into the shower. He drove the boys to school and headed directly to the agency where Mrs. Marston handed him several phone messages. "I am not your personal secretary, but I was told to give these to you as soon as you walked in," she stated dryly.

"What the-" Lee sputtered as he read one message after another. He took the stairs to the Q Bureau two by two, unlocked the door and ran to the phone. He punched in the number on the messages and waited as the phone rang.

"Hell-o," the voice on the other end of the phone answered.

"Jacobs, it's Scarecrow. What do you mean, Amanda's not there?" Lee demanded.

"Scarecrow. I don't know what to tell you. She's not here. She was already gone when I got here," Jacobs stated.

Lee furrowed his brow, "Gone? She wouldn't have been gone. She knows protocol." Lee flipped through several more messages and exclaimed, "Wait, she called it in at 7:23. She stated she was heading to the pharmacy and would check back in when she returned, but that's it; nothing else."

"Look, the kid said Amanda was here last night, but the kid wasn't feeling too good. Amanda said she was going to go get her some medicine at the store. She told her to take a shower then lay down and that's what the kid did. She said she fell asleep and didn't wake up until she heard me knocking on the door," Jacobs explained.

"What about Amanda's car? Is that there?" Lee snapped.

Lee heard Jacobs clear his throat before he said, "Yeah, that's the weird part because her car's still here. It's parked two doors down, just like it was yesterday when I got here."

Lee slammed his hand down on the desk and shouted, "Dammit, Jacobs!" just before he slapped at the receiver to disconnect the call. He punched Billy's extension and before Billy had a chance to say a word Lee snapped, "He's got her Billy!"

"Who's got who?" Billy asked.

"Squires! He's already got Amanda!" Lee shouted into the phone.

Billy sat up straight in his chair and said, "Hold on a minute. What's going on?"

"Jacobs said Amanda wasn't at the safe house this morning when he showed up, but her car is still there," Lee rushed out.

"Let's not go jumping to conclusions here, Lee. Maybe Amanda went out to get coffee or something," Billy reasoned.

Lee shook his head in disbelief, "Come on, Billy, this is Amanda we're talking about here. She wouldn't just leave like that. She follows every damn rule ever written. She knows protocol. She would have waited until Jacobs got there. You know that!"

Billy exhaled loudly, "You're right. This is Amanda we are talking about here. Call it in. Get a team out there now. But until we have proof, we can't assume it's Squires that has her."

"I know it is, Billy! Something tells me it's him," Lee insisted. "Remember last night, when you said you had a bad feeling about this? Now I'm the one with the bad feeling."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Uh," Amanda groaned as she tried to open her eyes. "What happened?" she whispered. Not hearing a reply, she struggled to get her eyes focused. She finally managed to lift her head off the pillow enough to look around the unfamiliar room. She shook her head slightly as she attempted to make sense of what she was seeing.

The walls were made of roughhewn wood planks. She could see light filtering in through the dirty glass window, but she couldn't identify the time of day. Turning her head slightly, she quickly determined she was laying on a bed, her arm under the pillow beneath her head. She tried to sit up but soon realized her hand was cuffed to the metal-framed headboard. She looked down and saw she was still wearing the same clothes she had on the previous night, minus her coat. She wasn't cold per se, although the room was slightly chilly. She flexed her fingers on her right hand to get the blood flowing.

"How did I get here?" Amanda thought aloud. She swung her legs off the side of the bed and sat up, but she immediately hung her head which now felt like it was spinning. She started to put her right hand to her temple, but it was hindered by the handcuffs. Using her left hand, she rubbed her temple first, then her cheeks. When the dizzy feeling passed, she sat back up again and looked around once more. "Hello?" she called out to the open doorway.

"You're awake!" she heard a familiar voice respond from the other room. As she was trying to place how she knew the voice, she saw a shadow on the floor move closer to the doorway. Alan Squires stepped into the bedroom and smiled. "I was almost afraid I used too much ether on the handkerchief I had…I didn't want to hurt you," he stated softly.

Amanda looked at the curly-haired man before her, "Alan? What are you doing here? How did I get here?" she asked, confused.

"You're here," Alan stated, "because I wanted you here. With me. Where you belonged in the first place."

"What? Alan, what are you talking about?" Amanda asked, confused.

Alan sat down on the bed beside Amanda and covered her hand with his. "I've thought of no one else but you since I was sent to prison," he said softly, his thumb warming a line on the side of her hand.

Amanda pulled her hand back, uncomfortable. "Alan, when did you get released from prison?"

"Released isn't exactly the word I would use," Alan laughed. He stood quickly and moved to the window. He pushed the lace curtain aside and stared outside, saying nothing else.

"Then how did you get out of prison?" Amanda asked, her voice cracking with fear. When Alan continued to remain silent, she asked another question, "Alan, this is a very nice cabin. Is it yours?"

Alan glanced over his shoulder at her and smiled, "No, it belongs to the good Dr. John Rizzo. He was kind of enough to give me the keys to his cabin, along with a few other things he won't be needing anymore."

"Oh," Amanda whispered then louder she asked, "Was he a friend of yours?"

"A friend? We don't have friends in this business, you should know that," Alan reprimanded her. "No, Dr. Rizzo just happened to be coming home at the right time when I needed help. Dressed as I was, he was more than gracious enough to invite me into his home to use his telephone. He even offered me a nice cup of tea while we waited for backup. At least that's what he thought anyway. He never saw it coming."

Amanda frowned at the implication of what he admitted. "Didn't see what coming, Alan?" she asked tentatively.

Alan turned and leaned against the windowsill and stated, "He didn't see the pan coming down on his head until it was too late. I only meant to knock him out, I didn't mean to kill him, but when after I hit him, he managed to find that one little corner of the counter with the side of his head."

"Alan, did you just say you killed Dr. Rizzo?" Amanda squeaked.

"Just a minor detail. But after I warmed up with that wonderful cup of tea he made, I noticed the letter from the caretaker on the table. It was so nice of them to send him new keys for his weekend at the cabin. They were so worried someone had broken the lock that they replaced it for him," Alan rambled. "It didn't take a mastermind to find the address of the cabin and with a few supplies packed, Dr. Rizzo even gave me his car."

Amanda closed her eyes as she tried to make sense of everything he had just told her. She opened them slowly and said, "Alan, I need to use the bathroom. Can you release me?" She tugged on the handcuff for added effect.

"You have to promise me you won't try to run. I won't hurt you," Alan informed her.

"Please, I just need to use the bathroom. I won't run," Amanda promised. Her mind was whirling on how she could escape or somehow contact Lee.

Alan slowly crossed the room, watching Amanda intently. He held the key to the handcuffs in two fingers and reminded her, "Don't run." Amanda nodded and when he released the cuff on the bed frame she slowly pulled her arm to her chest, rubbing her wrist. She stood slowly and allowed Alan to take her hand. She followed him out of the bedroom into the larger living area of the cabin. She immediately took note of the only door to exit the cabin as well as the few windows in the front. "Here," Alan opened a door to reveal a small utilitarian bathroom with just a toilet and a small shower stall. "You'll have to wash your hands in the kitchen sink. Sorry," he apologized.

Amanda stepped into the small room, again, noting the tiny window in the shower stall. She started to pull the door closed but Alan held tight to the handle. "Alan, please, I'd like some privacy. I can't go anywhere in here. There's no place to go," Amanda waved her hand around.

"I guess not," Alan agreed before releasing the door for her to close.

Several minutes later, Amanda opened the door slowly and said, "I need to wash my hands." Alan took her by the elbow and gently guided her to the kitchen area. Amanda washed her hands, using a worn dish towel to dry them.

"Come, sit. Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat," Alan pulled out a chair for her.

Amanda sat down and brought her hands up to rest her elbows on the placemat on the table. The handcuff dangled and clanked against the table, a chilling reminder of her current situation. "Alan, you know bringing me here was wrong, don't you? My family is going to get worried when I don't come home," Amanda tried to reason with him.

Alan sat beside her and smiled, "Your family will just think you're working. Isn't that what they thought before when you would be gone all night?"

"No, Alan, my husband knows I should have been home this morning or at least I think it was this morning," Amanda insisted.

Alan looked down at her left hand and noticed her wedding rings for the first time. "I wasn't aware you got married. Anyone I know?" he asked, his voice flat.

Amanda nervously twisted her rings, debating what to tell him. Deciding the truth was probably best, she nodded and said, "Yes. Lee Stetson and I got married last year."

"Damn!" Alan snapped before slamming his hand down on the table. He inhaled and exhaled loudly then added calmly, "This does complicate things, just a bit now, doesn't it?"


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Did you find anything?" Lee demanded loudly. The small group of agents searching the area just looked in his direction and shook their heads. "Dammit!" Lee cursed loudly. He spotted Billy moving quickly in his direction.

"Stetson, I think we've got something. Near Amanda's car," Billy stated loudly.

Lee jogged to him quickly, "What is it? What'd you find?"

"I told them to leave it alone until I got you," Billy informed him as he fell in step behind Lee.

Lee picked up the pace, covering the short distance quickly. "Where is it?" he demanded.

"Here!" one agent called out as he knelt on the sidewalk beside Amanda's car. "I didn't touch it," he assured Lee.

Lee grabbed a pen out of his pocket, crouched beside the agent and lifted a finely embroidered handkerchief on the ground. Lee could easily read the initials stitched in blue thread in one corner. "JRP," Lee read aloud.

"What do you think?" Billy asked as he leaned over Lee's shoulder to get a better look.

Lee shook his head, "I don't know. It could simply have been dropped by anyone walking by."

Billy looked around and waved over one agent, "Get me a list of all the residents in this area, pronto." Lee frowned so Billy added, "We can compare initials. If it belongs to a neighbor, we'll know."

Lee nodded and said, "We should bag it just in case." Another agent handed Lee a plastic bag to drop the loosely folded linen square into. As Lee began to seal the bag he thought he caught the scent of something sweet-smelling and familiar. He held the bag closer to his face and inhaled. The smell was distinctive, "It's ether."

Billy grimaced, "That's not good. What would one of the neighbors be doing with ether?"

Lee shook his head angrily, "There's only one use of ether on a cloth that I can think of. Billy, what if Squires used it to subdue Amanda?"

Billy pressed his lips together in a tight line as he nodded. "That's a plausible explanation, but we shouldn't jump to any conclusions, Scarecrow," he reminded him.

Lee shook the bag in his hand angrily. "Jump to conclusions, Billy? You tell me how often you find an ether-soaked cloth just hanging around next to the car of someone who's been abducted, huh?" he snapped.

"Just calm down!" Billy commanded. He looked over at another agent and said, "Get this to the lab, like yesterday. I want to confirm the chemicals it was soaked in and anything else they can find." He took the bag from Lee and handed it over. The Agent immediately began running toward his car, calling out to his partner who also joined him. They sped away, the red taillights fading in the distance. "Let's see if there's anything else around here, any other evidence we can use to positively link Squires to Amanda."

One agent began shining a flashlight around the car again. "I got something!" he announced. From just behind her front tire, he carefully lifted her keys and handed them to Lee.

"They're Amanda's," Lee confirmed, holding the keys in the palm of his hand.

"You're sure?" Billy asked.

Lee nodded, "The boys gave her this keychain a few weeks ago." Attached to the keys was a small black and white panda pendant. Lee leaned against Amanda's car and ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. He turned around and placed his hands along the roof edge of the driver's door and peered inside, hoping he would see something, anything. He pulled the handle on the door upward but when he realized the door was still locked, he slapped his hand on the roof loudly. "She didn't even get her keys in the door!" he snapped. "Whatever happened, happened fast. She never takes her keys out until just before she unlocks the door."

"Nothing else here," the agent announced and rose to his feet before walking away. Billy watched as he returned to his partner, searching the bushes nearby.

Lee exhaled loudly, holding the keys tightly in his fist. "Where are you, Amanda?" Lee muttered softly.

"We'll find her, Lee," Billy assured him with a soft touch on his shoulder.

"Before or after he hurts her?" Lee groaned. He blinked rapidly, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. He looked skyward, the dark ominous clouds above slowly changing shape above him.

Billy adjusted his hat and tightened the belt of his coat around his waist. "We'll find her," he stated again. Billy looked around at the other agents and made the decision, "All right everyone, let's pack this up. I think we've found all we're going to find now. I want all the interviews with the neighbors on my desk by noon!" The agents replied with a chorus of "Yes, sir" and "Will do" before they headed to their cars. Billy turned back to Lee and said, "Come on, you can ride with me. Do you want me to drop you off at the house?"

Lee shook his head, "No, my car is still at the Agency. I can't leave her car here."

"We'll have her car towed back to the motor pool for safekeeping. We can dust it down there for prints, just in case," Billy reminded him. "Did you call Dotty yet?"

"Yes," Lee lowered his eyes. "I hated lying to her again, but I said Amanda was recruited for a shoot for the next few days. Of course, she wanted to know why she didn't pack a bag or tell her or the boys, you know."

"I know," Billy stated. "It's never easy having to lie about this, especially now. Do you think she believed you?"

Lee shrugged one shoulder and said, "Yeah, she has no reason not to believe me, which is why I feel even worse knowing it's a lie. I'm not just lying to protect myself anymore. I'm lying to my mother-in-law to protect the boys, too."

"Well, you knew one of these days this might happen to you or Amanda. Don't beat yourself up over this," Billy tried.

"He has at least a twelve-hour lead on us, Billy. They could be anywhere by now," Lee groaned once more.

Billy exhaled and said, "Well, we know his resources are limited. After all, he's been incarcerated for the last five years. How many contacts do you think he still has around here?"

"True," Lee admitted. "But how did he find her?"

"We don't even know for sure it is Squires," Billy reminded him. "It could be any number of enemies you two have created over the years."

"No, it's Squires. I know it is. I don't know how but I do," Lee insisted.

Billy held his hand out, gesturing toward his car, "Well if it is, we have a lot of work to do to find him."

"Okay, let's head back and I'll give Dotty a call and tell her I won't be home tonight either. If I'm not there, she can't grill me as easily," Lee laughed dryly. "I never thought there would come a day that I would be hiding from my mother-in-law because I'm more afraid of her interrogation techniques than I am of the Russian's."

Billy chuckled deeply, "I keep telling you, Scarecrow, if she ever needs a job, I'd hire her in a second."

Lee smiled weakly, "But she can't keep a secret. I knew about my so-called surprise birthday party before she even sent out the invitations."

"Not to mention her choice in friends could be considered questionable," Billy teased.

"You have no idea! Did I tell you the other day she had Mrs. Gilstrap over and the two of them were discussing who was sexier, Tom Selleck or Don Johnson?" Lee said matter-of-factly.

"Well, who did they decide?" Billy asked to keep the conversation light and Lee distracted as they climbed into Billy's brown sedan.

Lee chuckled, "Well, that depends if you prefer a hairy chest or not. Although Dotty mentioned Cary Grant was quite the looker when he was younger as well."

Billy glanced over at Lee and added, "Sounds like you have your hands full with that one."

"Dotty has her moments, just like Amanda does at times but I wouldn't trade them for the world," Lee admitted. "I have to find her, Billy."

Billy nodded solemnly, "We will, Scarecrow. If it's the last thing we do."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Damn it, Billy! Where the hell are those reports?" Lee moaned as he paced around Billy's office once more, looking out the window into the bullpen, searching for anyone walking near Bily's door.

Billy exhaled, "Will you sit down? You're making me dizzy!"

Lee's head turned in Billy's direction, "I can't sit down knowing that Squires has Amanda somewhere and I can't do a damn thing about it!"

"And I can't rush anyone to finish their reports, now sit down!" Billy snapped. "And we still don't know for sure it's Squires," he added sharply.

"You and I both know the truth, Billy! He used her before to get to me and now he's doing it all over again, can't you see that?" Lee cried.

Billy's phone rang suddenly, startling them both, "Melrose. Good, I want those results in my office ASAP!" Billy hung up the phone and explained, "The lab finally has the results on that handkerchief. They're on their way."

Lee marched over to the door and yanked it open, surprising the agent standing there, his hand raised to knock. "I have that list of neighbors you asked for, Mr. Melrose," the man stuttered out. He handed Lee the file folder before turning and returning to his desk in the bullpen.

Lee eagerly opened the folder and scanned the list. "Nothing! No one on this list has the initials JRP!" he groaned, handing the folder to Billy.

Billy skimmed the page again and shook his head, "Not even close. Okay, so that means whomever-" he began.

"Squires!" Lee interjected angrily.

"WHOMever," Billy repeated loudly, "has Amanda brought this with them. Maybe the lab found something else." He was going to start theorizing when they heard a sharp knock on the door. "Enter!" Billy commanded.

"Mr. Melrose, here is that cloth and the results," Buster Tagart said as he handed Billy another file and the handkerchief in a sealed bag. "Scarecrow was right, it was ether, and pretty heavily soaked in it too. Usually, it would evaporate off, but since it was so cold last night it kind of hung onto it. We found a lipstick smudge, the shade is Blushing Berry. The material itself is a fine Eqyptian Cotton, the embroidery done with silk thread dyed Navy Blue. There are no makers' marks so I'm thinking it was a special order."

"Amanda wears that shade," Lee nodded as he sunk down onto a chair. "I was with her when she bought it last week."

"Ok, so we've confirmed it's Amanda's shade of lipstick on the cloth. Anything else, Tagart?" Billy asked.

Tagart shook his head, "No, that's it I'm afraid. No hairs, no fibers. Whoever was handling it must have had leather gloves on maybe." He opened the door and added, "You know where to find me if you need anything else."

Lee stood and began pacing once more, "Now what?!"

"Now you go home," Billy commanded. "You can't do anything more here. You've been pacing my office for hours and it hasn't gotten you anywhere. Take care of the boys, that's what Amanda would expect you to do."

"No, Amanda is going to expect me to find her. I can't just take a backseat on this!" Lee rebuked.

"You're not taking a backseat but you are taking a break. We've gone over every piece of evidence we have which is practically nothing. You are going to head home until we get something else," Billy stated. "And that's an order!" he added loudly.

"But, Billy," Lee tried.

"But nothing! I said go home Scarecrow and that's final!" Billy sat down firmly in his chair and began reviewing the report Tagart handed him. Lee stood, staring at him. "Why are you still here? Go!" Billy pointed at the door.

Lee grunted his displeasure at being dismissed and yanked the door open. He stormed off to the elevator, thankful it was Saturday and the bullpen only had a handful of agents in it. He made his way to the car and once inside, he slammed his hand off the steering wheel angrily before leaning forward, resting his head on his hands. "Where are you, Amanda?" he whispered sadly.

"Lee?" Amanda called out in her drugged sleep. Alan sat at the end of the bed, just watching her. He frowned as she struggled against the handcuff, even in her sleep.

After sitting in the kitchen for a few hours the previous night, Alan convinced Amanda to get some sleep. When she woke Saturday morning, he again, escorted her to the small bathroom once again but this time, to Amanda's surprise, he offered her a towel and a small stack of clothes. "It's going to get colder today, you might be warmer in these," Alan explained. Amanda looked at the items he handed her and found a red and black checkered flannel shirt, a pair of black sweatpants and heavy socks. "Maybe we can dress for dinner later," Alan suggested cryptically.

"Are we going somewhere for dinner?" Amanda asked sweetly, hoping to pry some kind of information out of him.

"No need. We have everything right here. Perfect for an intimate dinner for two," Alan replied.

"OH," Amanda gasped before closing the door to the small bathroom. She showered quickly, doing her best not to wet her hair and dressed in the items he had given her. The pants hung loosely on her small frame so she pulled the waistband tie as tight as she could. She stepped back into the living area, her own clothes folded in a neat pile.

"Here, let me take those," Alan offered. Amanda watched him place the pile on a chair in the bedroom before returning to Amanda's side. He escorted her to the table where Amanda found a dish of eggs benedict waiting for her.

"Alan, you didn't have to go through all this trouble just for me," Amanda commented as Alan pushed her chair in.

Alan smiled and shook his head, "It was no trouble at all, especially not for you. Now I had to make do with with the basic seasonings this cabin had to offer but I think you'll find your meal satisfactory. I'm going to head out in a bit to get more supplies. Is there anything I can get for you, anything you might be craving?"

Amanda looked down at her dish and shook her head, "No, Alan, I just want to go home, to my family where I belong."

Alan's smile faltered, "Well, that's not possible. Over time, your family will understand why you left them."

"Alan, what do you mean, over time?" Amanda's voice squeaked. "Are you saying I'm never going back to them?"

"Eat your breakfast before it gets cold," Alan instructed, the coldness in his tone scaring her. He lifted his fork and took the first bite, "Hmmm, needs a little touch of something but it will do."

Amanda followed suit, barely able to taste anything. She swallowed hard, the lump in her throat making eating nearly impossible. "I'm sorry, Alan, I'm not very hungry," she muttered after only a few bites.

"Well, maybe later your appetite will return," Alan suggested as he finished his own meal. He collected their dishes and dropped them into the small sink. "I apologize, there's not much to do around the cabin but when I return, we'll take a walk," he stated softly.

Alan left a few minutes later, locking the door behind him. When Amanda heard the crunch of the car wheels in the distance, she scrambled to her feet and tried the lock on the door. It was a deadbolt, only accessible from the outside. She checked every window to find most of them were shuttered from the outside as well. She found one window with a missing slat in the shutter. Looking around the cabin, she found a hanger and spent the next hour attempting to get the hook and eye catches loose.

When the last one finally popped free, she wiggled out of the small window and toward the rutted dirt road. The ground was cold under her stocking feet and she had to admit, she was thankful for the thick socks Alan had given her as they offered more protection than the dress shoes she had been wearing. She heard the distant sound of a car engine and panicked. She tried to hide in the sparse woods along the road but Alan easily spotted her. When he stopped the car, she immediately began running but was not able to avoid his arms when they encircled her.

The last thing Amanda remembered was the sharp pinch of something in her neck before she collapsed onto the dirt road. Hours later, she lay back on the bed, handcuffed, in the throws of a drug-induced nightmare, Alan sitting on the bed watching her. As she groaned Lee's name, Alan got closer, carefully slipping her wedding rings off her finger as he whispered, "Lee will be a distant memory soon enough."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Amanda opened her eyes slowly and tried to focus on the narrow beam of light on the floor. Her head was pounding, and her mouth felt as if it was filled with cotton. She couldn't remember a time she had felt like this before and hoped she would never experience it again. She shifted her leg slightly behind her to relieve the muscle cramp that was forming but stopped when she felt something warm curled up beside her. She exhaled slowly and did her best to glance over her shoulder without moving her body. She sensed more than she could see Alan asleep beside her on the bed.

Amanda closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. Her mind, although slightly foggy, was racing. _What am I going to do? _She thought. As time passed, the drugs wore off, and her mind became clearer. She felt Alan shift in his sleep, one arm finding its way across her body, holding her in his sleep. Amanda cringed as he pulled her closer to him and he sighed contentedly. Another hour passed and Amanda could no longer ignore her body's demands to use the bathroom. She closed her eyes, a single tear ran down her cheek as she whispered softly to herself, "_Lee, forgive me." _

Amanda purposefully wiggled backward against Alan, bumping into him. "Alan, oh good morning," Amanda said cheerfully when Alan pushed up onto his elbows before sitting up.

Alan smiled at her and stated softly, "You're in a wonderful mood this morning. All that rest must have been what you needed."

Amanda pasted a smile on her face and replied, "It must have been. I feel much better, much safer now." She looked down at the colorful bedspread then looked up at him sweetly and asked, "Alan, could you help me up? I need to use the bathroom, please."

Alan leaned close to Amanda's face and brushed his lips across her cheek before rolling off the bed to his feet. "Of course, where are my manners!" he exclaimed. He sat on the edge of the bed beside Amanda and held the handcuff key in his fingers. "You won't run away again, will you?"

Amanda shook her head, her eyes wide. "Oh, no, Alan, I won't do that again. I realized it was wrong of me to try to do that. After all, you're taking such good care of me and well, it would just be rude of me to try that again," she insisted.

Alan smiled warmly and stared intently at her. "I didn't think you would try that again. I didn't want to give you that injection, Amanda, but I had to. To keep you safe, you know," he explained as he carefully released the mechanism in the handcuff on her wrist.

"I know, Alan," Amanda whispered as she rubbed the raw spot on her wrist where the metal had begun to chafe her skin. She stood slowly and let Alan lead her to the small bathroom again. Several minutes later, she emerged and again asked to wash her hands. Alan lead her to the sink in the kitchen and it wasn't until she rubbed her hands together did she notice her wedding rings were missing. "Alan, did you take my rings?" Amanda asked sweetly, hoping he wouldn't be angered.

Alan sat at the table and nodded, "You're not going to need those anymore. It's you and me now. Lee's will be nothing more than a memory soon enough. But don't worry, your rings are safe."

Amanda dried her hands on the dishtowel beside the sink and walked slowly across the room to sit with Alan at the table. _I need to stay calm. I'll get out of this… somehow, _Amanda thought as she began to lower herself onto the chair. "What, um, what would you like to do today?" she asked.

Alan jumped up and pulled her chair out for her before she finished sitting. "I thought maybe you and I could get to know each other a little more. The real you, the real me," Alan replied thoughtfully.

Amanda folded her hands and looked down at them. "Awe, Alan, there's not much to know about me," Amanda replied softly.

Alan covered her hands with one of his, "You're a beautiful woman, Amanda, I'm sure you've got a special story to tell. I mean, look at you. A divorced woman, who became an outstanding agent in her own right."

Amanda shook her head, shyly, "Those are very nice words, Alan. I'm not really sure what to say."

Alan patted her hands before standing abruptly. "Tell me all about your childhood while I make breakfast. Crepes? Chocolate, strawberries or raspberries, your choice. I know the berries are out of season and cost a small fortune at the market but you're worth every penny," he stated his blue eyes staring at Amanda intensely, unnerving her.

"You choose," Amanda replied, blinking uncomfortably. She picked at the skin around her nail nervously before lifting one hand to her mouth where she began to worry her thumbnail.

"Do I make you nervous?" Alan asked, observing her behavior.

"No. Why do you ask?" Amanda replied with a shake of her head.

Alan lifted his chin in her direction, "You're biting your nails. Don't be nervous, Amanda. I won't hurt you. I would never hurt you. That's not who I am."

"But Alan," Amanda started as she pulled her hand away from her face.

"No, that's who I was. Before. Now, I just want to make you happy, just like I know you are going to make me happy," Alan informed her before turning back to the stove.

Amanda looked down at the table and tried to hide the tear that slid down her cheek. She wiped it away and took a deep breath. "Alan, do you think I could take a shower while you make breakfast?" she asked tentatively.

Alan dropped the whisk he had been holding and turned to pull Amanda's chair out for her, "Of course, of course. And I have something else for you to wear. I saw it in a little secondhand shop, I hope you don't mind." He escorted her back into the bedroom where she noticed two garment bags hanging in the small closet. He reached in and pulled one of the garment bags out and handed it to her. "This is for today; the other bag is for later. I hope everything fits," Alan informed her.

Amanda accepted the bag reluctantly, "Alan, this is too much. You don't need to do all this."

"I picked up a few other things for you as well. They're in the bathroom. I'll let you shower," Alan stated as he guided her back to the doorway. Amanda stepped into the small space and found a brush, a brand-new package of panties and a package of warm socks. Amanda hung the garment bag on the back of the door and unzipped it to find a pair of jeans, a cream-colored heavy cable knit sweater, and a pale pink turtleneck. She could hear Alan happily singing as he cooked in the kitchen.

Amanda turned on the water, removed the sweatpants and plaid shirt she had been wearing, and folded everything before stepping into the hot stream of water. She leaned her head forward and allowed the tears to fall as the water quickly washed them away. She could smell the warming chocolate and her stomach rumbled in response. She finished washing her hair and body, turned off the water, and was drying herself when she heard Alan calling her from the kitchen. She dressed quickly and joined him several minutes later, where a warm plate was waiting for her along with a cup of tea.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Amanda spent most of the morning talking to Alan, fielding his questions about her childhood, her college years, and more currently, her family, all the while trying to get information from him. She learned very little about his past other than what she had learned during the investigation five years ago. Each time she attempted to ask him about where they were or how they got there, he would simply smile and insist the good doctor wasn't in need of the cabin or the car any longer. She tried looking for any clues in the garment bag, still hanging on the back of the bathroom door but even the price tags had been removed.

Later, in the afternoon, she convinced Alan to bring her outside for some fresh air. Outside, the sun was warm, although, the air was cool. Alan suggested they make tea and sit in the two rocking chairs on the small porch for a bit. Amanda agreed and as Alan made the tea, she searched the small cabin until she found two hand-knit blankets in a small chest that was doubling as a coffee table. "These will help keep us warm," Amanda held up the blankets with a smile.

"My sweet, sweet, Amanda. I'll wrap my arms around you and warm you with my own body should you get cold," Alan assured her. Amanda shuddered involuntarily. "Does that idea not appeal to you, Amanda," Alan straightened up and took a step toward her.

"Oh, no, no, I'd like that. I just got a chill, I guess," Amanda immediately tried to cover up her intense reaction to the mere idea of Alan putting his arms around her in an intimate way. She sat on the couch and closed her eyes for a moment, Lee's image flashing through her mind's eye, drawing a sad smile to her face.

Alan watched her and stated, "It won't always be like that, Amanda. Soon, we can head somewhere warmer, start a whole new life. Just you and me."

Amanda looked up and smiled warmly, "Tell me about it, Alan. Tell me where you'd like to go."

Alan returned her smile and lifted the steaming mugs and declared, "Let's talk outside." Amanda followed Alan, carrying the blankets now draped over her arm. She settled into a rocking chair, laid a blanket across her legs and accepted the tea Alan handed her.

Once Alan sat down, she handed him the blanket and asked, "So, Alan, where do you think you'd like to go? Somewhere you've been before?" She smiled over the rim of the thick mug she had her hands wrapped around.

Alan rocked the chair slowly back and forth before he stated, "I'm thinking the Dominican Republic is nice this time of year. A change from this cold weather settling in."

"Have you been there before?" Amanda asked softly, her breath forming wispy tendrils in the cool air.

"I have. Las Terrenas, on the north coast, is a hidden gem. It was once a small fishing village but now it's a bustling tourist area. We would fit right in," Alan explained.

Amanda took another sip of her tea, "How would we afford to live, Alan?" She pulled her knees up to her chest and held her legs with one hand.

Alan reached over and patted her arm, "Leave that up to me. I'll take care of you."

A cool breeze blew past and Amanda pulled the blanket tighter around her legs. "Can we go back inside?" she asked.

"Come here," Alan instructed as he rose to his feet. Amanda placed her feet on the rough wooden planks of the small porch. Alan pulled her into his arms, tucking his chin onto the top of her head as he rubbed her arms. "I told you, I'll be here to keep you warm from now on."

"Thank you, Alan. It's starting to get dark, we should head inside," Amanda said softly. She glanced around for any kind of landmark she could see, but beyond the narrow, dirt driveway was nothing but trees. Alan opened the door and guided her back inside.

"I have a special dinner in mind for you. And I told you, I got you something special for tonight," Alan said softly as he took her now empty mug and placed them in the sink. "I hope you like Italian. It's one of the few things my mother taught me to make before she died," he said in the same soft, even tone.

"Sounds lovely," Amanda replied as she lowered herself onto the threadbare couch. She rubbed her hands up and down her thighs, trying to warm herself up. She looked around and spotted the woodstove and asked, "Alan, do you think it would alright if we started a fire? It's a little cool in here."

Alan looked around, rubbed his hands together and agreed, "Of course. Let me get some wood." He disappeared outside and returned a few minutes later carrying several pieces of split wood. "We'll get this place all warmed up in no time," he stated. Several minutes later, Alan stepped back away from the woodstove and closed the heavy cast iron door. "Now, let's get dinner started, shall we?" Amanda watched Alan move to the kitchen area where he filled a pot with water and began preparing their dinner.

"What are you making?" Amanda asked softly, as Alan pulled several ingredients out of the small fridge.

"I was thinking garlic shrimp scampi if you're not allergic that is. You're not allergic to shrimp, are you?" Alan asked quickly.

Amanda shook her head, "No, I'm not allergic."

"Good," Alan breathed as he went back to preparing their meal. Without turning around he said, "I thought we could dress for dinner. I know that may sound strange but just because we are here doesn't mean we can't live like civilized people." Amanda opened her mouth to reply, but Alan spoke first, "The other bag in the closet. I saw it and thought you'd look beautiful in it. Go try it on."

Amanda stood slowly and entered the bedroom where the second garment bag hung. She unzipped it and gasped when she saw the royal blue dress hanging, another garment behind it. Amanda gently extracted the dress and bit her lip to fight the tears that threatened to fall when she spotted the second article of clothing. Placing the dress on the bed, Amanda touched the silk nightgown that still hung in the bag. She didn't hear Alan step into the room until his voice broke the silence. "For when you're ready to become completely mine. I couldn't resist. When I saw it, I closed my eyes and immediately thought of how it would look against your soft, alabaster skin. Has anyone ever described you like that? You're like a beautiful sculpture, so soft, so perfect," he said as he stepped closer and tried to touch her cheek with his fingertips.

Amanda stepped out of his reach, allowing the silk material to slip through her fingers. "Alan, I can't. Not now, not yet," she stuttered.

Alan grasped her roughly by the shoulders, scaring her for a moment, "It's because of him. I know. But soon, you'll forget all about him and be mine completely." Amanda's eye grew large in fear as he gripped her tightly. Alan watched her and realized his error, gradually loosening his grip. He leaned close and brushed his lips against her temple as he pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I won't do that again, I promise you." Amanda stiffened immediately as he held her close. Alan released her and stepped back as he said, "Get dressed, please. Dinner won't take much longer." He stepped out of the bedroom and pulled the door closed behind him.

Amanda sunk down on the edge of the bed and sobbed softly, "Oh, Lee."

"Lee!" Dotty shouted as she leaned out the front door. "Will you be home tonight?" she called after him.

Lee shook his head, "Late maybe. You don't need to wait up for me. I have a lot of work to do tonight."

"Have you heard from Amanda?" Dotty called again just as Lee slipped into the driver's seat.

Lee pushed up again and lied, "I missed her message at work earlier. I'm sure she'll try again."

"I just don't understand why she didn't call the house. It's not like her to not call," Dotty stated before adding, "Isn't there anything you can do?"

"I'm trying," Lee muttered under his breath before replying loudly, "I'm sure she's fine and just distracted with work."

Dotty waved her hand and agreed, "That's probably it. Brrr, it's getting colder! Drive safe!" She waved once more and stepped back into the house, closing the door.

Lee shut the car door, revved the engine to try to warm it faster and tipped his head backward. "Amanda, where are you?" he groaned. "Just hang on. Somehow, I'll find you," he stated firmly then added, "And I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch when I do."


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Lee sat at his desk in the Q Bureau, the only light in the room was from the small lamp behind him. Lee stared at the ceiling, his mind reeling. "Where can they be? What is he doing to her? Is she safe?" The questions echoed throughout his mind, the answers as unknown as their whereabouts. Lee leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, holding his head. He was startled when the phone rang beside him. "Stetson," he muttered into the receiver.

"Why are you here?" Billy barked from the other end.

"Billy," Lee acknowledged his friend and boss. "I didn't know where else to go. I can't stay home without Dotty asking a thousand questions," he explained.

"I understand," Billy's voice softened. "We're going to find her, Lee. I promise you. As soon as we figure out where Squires went after the crash, we'll find them," he assured him.

"Thanks, Billy," Lee whispered, his voice thick with the emotions he was trying to hold back. Billy hung up the phone without another word, leaving Lee holding the phone in his hand. He gently replaced the receiver before swiping at his face, wiping the tears that fell.

"Thank you, Alan," Amanda whispered as Alan placed the dish before her. "It smells delicious."

Alan smiled and sat beside her, his knee brushing against hers under the table. "My mother wasn't the best cook but this, this was her specialty. And it was the last meal she made for me before she died," Alan explained between bites.

"It's wonderful," Amanda exclaimed after swallowing her first small bite. She carefully chewed each bite, swallowing past the lump in her throat. She sipped her water slowly, doing her best not to choke as she fought back her tears.

"I found some albums and an old Birch hand-crank record player. I was thinking we could entertain ourselves with some dancing," Alan suggested with a smile.

"Dancing?" Amanda squeaked. Her heart began to race as she contemplated being that close to Alan for longer than a few minutes.

Alan, oblivious to her discomfort, agreed, "Yes, dancing. Big band music, some Rat Pack. We could light some candles, set the mood. Maybe open up some space by moving the furniture a little."

Amanda swallowed hard once more, "If that's what you'd like, it sounds lovely." She wiped her mouth and dropped the napkin beside her dish. She stood slowly, smoothing the material of the blue dress down her leg before she suggested, "That was delicious. I couldn't possibly eat another bite. How about I wash the dishes tonight? You made our wonderful meal, it's the least I can do." She wanted to delay his after-dinner activity as long as possible.

Alan stood quickly. "You really don't have to do that. Let me," he stated as he took the plate from her hands and carried it to the sink. "Why don't you sit? It will only take me a few minutes," he assured her. He gathered the rest of the dishes and carried everything over and began washing the mismatched ceramic dishes.

Amanda lifted her water glass with a shaky hand and crossed the room to sit on the couch. She held the glass with both hands to minimize the water sloshing around, all the while, hoping Alan wouldn't notice. When he turned to face her, she placed the glass on the chest and plastered a smile on her face. "That was quick," she said cheerfully. "I can never wash the dishes that fast at home. I'm always distracted by the boys or my mother," she began to ramble.

"But not your husband?" Alan questioned with a raised eyebrow. He leaned back against the counter.

Amanda looked down at her hands and gave her head a small shake. "He does his fair share of distracting me, too," she disagreed.

"Do you like to be distracted?" Alan asked, his voice even, close to monotone.

Amanda's head shot up and dark brown eyes stared into intense blue ones. "Lee-" Amanda began then stopped as Alan raised an eyebrow sharply at the mere mention of Lee's name. Amanda looked away and said softly, "he knows the right ways to distract me."

"I'd like to learn those ways," Alan stated. He pushed off the counter, closed the distance between them and offered her his hand. "Let me move this couch first so we can dance," he explained. He gently pulled her to her feet and moved her away from the center of the room. He pushed the couch back several feet in one direction then moved the small chest against the wall opposite the couch. He lifted the record player and placed it on the chest. "What do you prefer first?" he asked.

Amanda raised her hands and shook her head, "You choose."

Alan smiled then pulled one album from its sleeve and placed it on the turntable. He stood and moved back into the kitchen where he pulled several candles and a box of matches out of a drawer. He took three tall drinking glasses off the shelf and lined them up on the counter. He balanced one candle in a glass and lit it with a match. Carefully, he lifted the candle out of the glass and allowed the melted wax to drip into the bottom of the glass. He placed another candle into the glass and balanced it until the wax hardened again, holding the candle upright as he repeated the process in a second glass. Once the third candle was balanced, he lit all three of them before extinguishing the first.

Alan carried the candles into the living room. He strategically located the candles around the room before cranking the handle on the record player. He lifted the arm and placed the needle carefully on the spinning black disk. Scratchy, hollow-sounding voices of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin soon filled the room.

Alan offered Amanda his hand and with an unheard sigh, she accepted it. He slid his hand behind her back, and she tensed as he pulled her closer. "I won't hurt you, Amanda," Alan assured her. He swayed slowly with the music, rocking her body with his in time to the rhythm. "I've dreamed of nights like this," he admitted.

"Alan," Amanda exhaled as she stepped away from him, creating space between them. She dropped her arms and turned away from him. She walked toward the window and peered out between the shutter slats into the darkness. She fought the urge to shake him off when his hands stroked her arms.

"Amanda, I don't mean to upset you. Tell you what, it's getting late. Why don't we get some sleep? Tomorrow, I need to head back into town for more supplies before we start our travels," Alan explained.

Amanda looked over at him nervously, "We're leaving tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, Tuesday at the latest. I can't afford to waste any more time here," Alan stated. "And the snow's coming. If we can get out before it starts, it will hide the tire tracks for a while in case anyone comes looking for us here. By the time they figure it out, we'll be long gone."

"We will?" Amanda squeaked nervously. She couldn't help but glance at the door, silently hoping Lee would walk through any minute.

"No more talk about that tonight. Let's get some rest," Alan dismissed her. He walked around the room, carefully blowing out each candle until one solitary light remained. "Coming?" he called to her.

Amanda reluctantly followed him into the bedroom. An idea immediately came to mind, "Alan, I was a bit cold earlier. Would you mind if I slept in the sweatpants and sweater you bought for me?"

"I can keep you warm," Alan offered. He reached out to stroke her cheekbone with one finger.

Amanda closed her eyes and leaned away slightly and said, "I'm sure you can but I get very, very cold at night. Please."

Alan tapped the tip of her nose with one finger and agreed, "Very well. I'll give you time to change." He left the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Amanda changed quickly and climbed into the bed, sliding her socked feet between the blankets. "I'm ready," she called out to Alan. She rolled onto her side, away from the door and as the bed shifted with Alan's weight, she fought the tears that threatened to fall. When he spooned behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist, she lost her grip on the thin thread of hope as the tears streamed silently down her face.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Amanda, I need you to wake up," the voice broke through her sleep-laden mind. "Amanda, please. I need you to do what I ask."

"Lee?" Amanda muttered. In her dream, Lee was there with her, pulling her out of the cabin, calling to her.

"No, it's Alan," the voice morphed into Alan's as she struggled to open her eyes in the dim light.

"Alan? What's wrong?" she muttered sleepily.

Alan smiled at her tousled hair and sleepy appearance. He brushed a lock of hair off her cheek lovingly before he said, "I need you to do what I ask, no questions. All right?"

Amanda pushed up onto her elbows and scratched her head. "What time is it?" she asked.

"It's early, but not too early. I need to go into town to get supplies for our trip," Alan explained.

Amanda rolled into a sitting position and asked, "We're leaving today? So soon?"

Alan nodded, "Yes, the storm will be starting tonight. I don't want to risk getting stuck here. Let's take a trip to the bathroom then I need to make sure you are secured before I go."

Amanda inwardly cringed at his words but put a smile on her face and said, "I could make breakfast while you're gone. Or clean up around here so no one would guess we've been here. I'm very good at cleaning up when I'm not distracted."

"No," Alan snapped, startling Amanda. He softened his voice and said again, "No. That won't be necessary. I just need to be sure you won't try to run again."

Amanda shook her head, "I won't run, Alan. I promised you I wouldn't, and I always try to keep my promises." There was something in the cold look in his eyes that frightened her.

"I can't risk it. But I can offer you a choice. Would you rather the bed or the chair in the other room? I'll leave you with a book or something to keep you occupied, don't worry," Alan tried to assure her, although, the implication of his words caused a shiver to run down her spine.

Amanda looked down at her hands and traced the light flowery pattern on the handmade quilt covering the bed. "Will you be gone long?" she asked quietly.

"As long as it takes. But don't worry, I'll do my best to return quickly. But let's get you into the bathroom first. That would be cruel punishment if I didn't allow you that much," Alan stated.

"Yes, yes, that wouldn't be very nice. Thank you for thinking of me," Amanda whispered, hoping he didn't hear the scathing sarcasm in her tone.

Alan stood and gently guided Amanda into the living room then to the bathroom. "Would you like some tea and toast, some fruit maybe? I can get that together while you…" Alan let his voice trail off.

"That would be lovely," Amanda replied before stepping into the small room. She closed the door and leaned heavily against it. "Oh, Lee," she whispered into the chilly air.

"Oh, Amanda," Lee whispered as he sat on their bed, holding their wedding picture in his hand, tracing her face with his fingertips. The alarm clock abruptly began to blare quite loudly beside him. Lee reached over and slid the switch to the off position, effectively silencing the annoying alarm. He had been awake for hours after a nightmare woke him with a start. He had been dreaming about searching for Amanda but he each time he found her, she seemed to be jerked from his grasp. Sighing, he climbed off the bed and showered, his body numb to the searing hot temperature of the water.

"Good morning, Lee, I made coffee," Dotty greeted him cheerfully.

Lee looked up at his mother-in-law and gave her a weak smile. "Uh, thanks, Dotty. I guess I'll take a cup to go. I have to be in the office early today. I have," he paused, his weary mind scrambling for an excuse, "an interview this morning. On the phone. It's a long-distance call so I better get moving so I'm not late and I miss it."

Dotty dutifully poured his coffee into a travel mug and added just a dollop of half and half. "Will Amanda be home today?" she asked as she handed him the mug.

Lee nodded and took a sip of the coffee, "I think so. I missed her call again last night but if I got the message right, she should be." He glanced down at his watch and hurried to the door, "I gotta go. I'm going to be late. See you later." He slipped out the back door before Dotty had a chance to ask him anything else. Outside he pulled the collar of his coat up as he climbed into the Vette and started it up. He could see Dotty walking in his direction, so he put the car in reverse and waved to her as he backed out onto the street. He sped away as she ran down the driveway waving in his direction, trying to get his attention. Lee leaned his head back and exhaled as he maneuvered through their neighborhood to the Agency.

He was only a few miles away from the office when his car phone rang beside him. "Stetson," he grunted.

"Lee, where are you?" Billy asked immediately.

"I'm on my way in. As a matter of fact, I should be there in four, five minutes tops. Why, what's up?" Lee asked.

"Get here as soon as possible. I just got a phone call from Harris," Billy encouraged.

Lee sat higher in his seat, "What did he say?"

"We may have just gotten our first break in this case," Billy stated.

Before he could continue, Lee began hammering questions at him. "What do you mean a break? Did he find her? Something else? Did he find Squires?"

"Slow down, slow down. I'll explain everything when you get here," Billy tried to calm him.

"Explain what? Billy, what the hell did he say?" Lee swore. He was so fixated on the phone, he had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting another car that had slowed down to turn.

Billy heard the screech of the tires and knew Lee was distracted so he stated, "I'll tell you everything when you get here. Now pay attention to the road. And that's an ORDER!" He hung up the phone but not before he heard Lee sputtering, "But, Billy..."

Billy looked out into the bullpen and watched as Francine entered, took off her coat and dropped her purse into her bottom desk drawer before she settled herself into her chair and opened the file folder on the top of the pile. He picked up the phone and dialed her extension, carefully observing her. "Desmond. I need you in my office and bring me some coffee," he barked. He watched as she scrambled out of her seat and across the bullpen to the coffee station where she poured two cups of coffee. She carefully carried the steaming mugs to his office door. Billy opened the door before she knocked and plucked one cup from her hands. "Thank you, Francine. Lee should be here in a few minutes," he informed her.

"What's going on?" Francine asked as she settled herself into one of the chairs across from Billy.

Billy leaned back into his oversized leather office chair and sipped his coffee. "When Lee gets here, I'll explain. Until then, what else have you found on Squires?"

Francine shook her head, "Nothing. Not a single thing. He has no contacts that we can find anywhere in a one-hundred-mile radius. And the few we did find; all claim they haven't heard from him since he was convicted."

Billy carefully cradled his coffee in his hands as he tapped his fingers on the sides, "What about outside of that? After all, he had a twelve-hour jump on us, he could have gotten a lot farther than a hundred miles during that time."

"We've checked the airport's security videos, the train stations, the bus stations! We've flashed their pictures everywhere and no one has seen them. I don't think they got that far," Francine explained.

"What about by car? He could have stolen one easily enough," Billy offered.

"I've checked with every law enforcement agency in the surrounding area and no one has reported a car stolen in the last four days," Francine stated.

Billy nodded before a movement in the bullpen caught his attention. Lee was closing the gap to his door with long strides. He watched the door swing inward quickly as Lee opened it and barked, "What the hell is going on? What did Harris say?"


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Amanda pleaded with Alan as he walked her back into the bedroom, the handcuffs in one hand, "Alan, please, you don't have to do this. I promise you I won't run. I'll wait right here for you."

Alan looked at her coldly, "I'm sure you'll be much safer here in the bedroom, as well. So, this is just a little insurance, a piece of mind shall we say, that you will, indeed, be here when I get back. Don't worry. I shouldn't be too long." Alan glanced at his watch before continuing, "the market in the small town nearby should be opening any minute. Please, sit."

Amanda stood her ground, her dark eyes flashing. "Alan, no. Please."

Without a word, Alan grabbed her arm and quickly overpowered her, pinning her on the bed while he snapped the handcuff around her wrist and the headboard. He left the room without a word, but returned a minute later carrying a glass of water and three paperback books. "I wasn't sure which book you'd enjoy more," he said softly. "I'll be back soon."

Amanda watched as he closed the bedroom door, his footsteps echoing on the wooden floor planks as he left the cabin, the outside door clicking closed. She tugged on the handcuff once before leaning back against the pillows, her tears falling down her face.

Francine pulled alongside the grass behind the line of State police cars. She glanced down at the address Billy had given them before studying the houses on the street. "This looks like the right place," she decided.

"Let's find Harris and get more answers from him," Lee declared as he quickly climbed out of the car, slamming the door closed.

Francine shook her head, "Lee! Hang on. Just give me a minute." Lee stopped in his tracks and snapped his head around to stare at her. "Sorry," she muttered under his penetrating glare.

She managed to get her door closed before Lee turned and began walking away again. Francine jogged to catch up to him and joked, "I shouldn't have worn these heels today, I guess."

Lee and Francine were stopped in front of the ranch-style home by a baby-faced officer. "I'm sorry, you two need to stop right there or show some identification," he squeaked nervously.

Lee pulled his badge out of his inside coat pocket and held it up. "I'm Lee Stetson, this is Francine Desmond." He indicated Francine with the tilt of his head in her direction. "We're from the Agency and have been working with Harris. Is he inside?"

Francine held her badge up and once the officer took a good look at them he exhaled. "Wow, I knew you guys existed, but this is the first time I've ever met one of you," he whispered loudly. His prominent Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he spoke. He cleared his throat and pointed, "Harris is inside, in the kitchen the last time I saw him. But be prepared, it's not a pretty sight in there." He leaned close to Francine as he whispered again, "I, ah, I almost tossed my cookies. That's why they sent me out here."

Francine laughed and assured him, "Son, I've probably done worse to a few people in my time than what you saw in there." All the color drained from the young officer's face as he stepped out of their way. Together, Francine and Lee walked briskly toward the front door quietly chuckling at the officer's expense. "That may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but I couldn't help myself," she whispered close to Lee's ear.

"Leave it to you, Francine," Lee chuckled. He knocked on the wooden front door and was greeted by another officer holding a cloth to his face and the distinct smell of death and decay was extremely evident. Coughing a little, Lee said, "Stetson and Desmond here to see Harris." The officer simply pointed in the direction of an open doorway before stepping outside and closing the door behind him. Before they moved, Lee called out, "Harris? It's Lee Stetson and Francine Desmond, from the Agency.

Harris poked his head into the room before stepping through the doorway. "In here, but I'm going to warn you-" he began but Lee held his hand to stop him.

"It's okay, this isn't our first rodeo. What did you find?" Lee assured him.

"Well, for starters, we have the good Dr. John Patrick Rizzo found dead on his kitchen floor this morning by his assistant who was coming in to make the morning coffee," he started to explain. He noticed Francine's eyebrow arch immediately, so he continued, "Dr. Rizzo has an office between the house and the garage where he meets with the poorer families in the community free of charge on Mondays and Thursdays. The other days he works out of his office in the city."

"Where is his assistant now?" Francine asked.

Harris pointed down a small hallway, "She's in the last bedroom on the left. We thought it would be best for her to be interviewed in there. The doors were closed so the smell didn't permeate too bad. She's with one of our female officers who's been trying to calm her down for the last forty-five minutes."

Lee glanced down the hall before making eye contact with Francine. "I'll go talk to her. Maybe she's calmer now and she can co-operate," Francine suggested before she began walking down the hall.

"Well, if you could have heard her wailing and carrying on when we first got here, anything is an improvement," Harris stated. He jerked his head back toward the doorway, "Dr. Rizzo's body is in here."

"Forgive me if this sounds like a dumb question, but why are we here? I mean if this is a simple home death-" Lee began, but Harris cut him off quickly.

"Dr. Rizzo was murdered from what we can tell, and I'd bet my last dollar your inmate, Squires, is the one who did it," Harris stated.

Lee tensed at the mention of Squires' name. He inhaled slowly, regretting it as soon as his sinuses were assaulted and as he exhaled, he asked, "What makes you think that?"

Harris crooked his finger and indicated for Lee to follow him. On the floor of the kitchen, lay the crumpled body of a small, white-haired man, a pool of dried blood around his head. "There's Dr. Rizzo. That pan over there has blood and hair on it, as well as, the corner of that counter. Best I can figure, Squires assaulted him over the head, and he hit the counter on his way down. Now, if Squires didn't actually mean to kill him, it's still manslaughter."

"Okay, but this still doesn't show me anything that links this to Squires," Lee insisted.

"I wasn't finished. Go check the trash in the barrel beside the door. I think you'll recognize what you're going to find," Harris instructed.

Lee narrowed his eyes, stepped over the body on the floor, used a wooden spoon from off the counter, and pushed down on the swinging lid revealing fabric inside. He lifted his head and when Harris nodded, he took the lid off the trash and peered inside. Before him was a wrinkled, blood-stained corrections' officer's uniform shirt. Lee grabbed a pair of tongs from the utensil holder on the counter and pulled the shirt out by the sleeve. Beneath the shirt was a pair of uniform pants. "We left everything there the way we found it. Squires must have been in a hurry because the sleeve was sticking out which is the only reason we caught it that fast. Kind of hard not to notice the facility patch," Harris explained.

"So, you were right. Squires was behind this. Which also means, he probably has the doctor's car," Lee agreed, his mind now reeling at the implications. "They could be anywhere right now, dammit!" he spat.

"I did confirm the garage is empty. Dr. Rizzo's assistant didn't notice the car missing because he usually parks in the garage and she never entered the garage. I also have an APB out for his car and the license plate," Harris informed him.

"That's a start, I guess," Lee groaned. He lifted his head when a small group of men entered the house, one man carrying a large black bag.

"Harris, we came to remove Dr. Rizzo's body if you're all done with it," one man stated.

Harris looked at Lee who nodded, "Yeah, I don't think we're going to get any more information from him now. Take him to the M.E.'s office and I'll get the results from them."

"Of course. And, Harris, you may want to send that kid out front home. He's looking a little green around the gills," the man laughed.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Harris, I need to call my superior. Is there a phone I can use around here?" Lee asked after the body of Dr. Rizzo was removed from the floor.

Harris nodded and pointed toward the doorway, "I think I saw one in the other room near the stairs. Otherwise, I'm sure there's one in his office next door you could use if you needed more privacy."

"Thanks, this one will be just fine," Lee stated when he saw the aforementioned phone. He picked up the receiver and dialed Billy's direct extension. "Billy, Squires was definitely here. We have confirmation. Now I need a full forensic team to work this place up. Can you send one out ASAP?" he stated as soon as Billy picked up the phone.

"Will do, but what proof do you have that it was Squires?" Billy asked.

"Well, for starters we have the officer's blood-stained shirt in the trash. We also have one very dead doctor, Dr. Rizzo," Lee informed him.

Billy pursed his lips tightly, "Who found him?"

Lee heard the sound of a wooden door creak open, then a woman crying loudly before the sound was muffled again. Francine appeared in the hall near him shaking her head. "His assistant found him this morning. It looks like he's been dead a few days from the smell of things," Lee stated. Francine waved a scrap of white material in Lee's direction as she tried to get his attention. When he finally acknowledged her, she handed him an embroidered handkerchief. "And Francine just gave me our first piece of solid evidence if the shirt isn't enough," Lee stated.

"What's that?" Billy asked.

"It's a perfect match for our handkerchief, same initials, color, everything. I'll bag it for comparison, although, I'm positive it's going to be the same," Lee snapped.

"I'll have Forensics there in thirty minutes. And do me a favor - don't touch anything else, you hear me!" Billy bellowed.

"Yeah, I heard you," Lee muttered into the phone before he hung the receiver in the cradle.

"Well, his assistant isn't much help. She's done nothing but cry continuously since I walked in there. The only thing I could get out of her was she saw him Wednesday afternoon at the other office and he was heading home. She did pull a stack of those handkerchiefs out of a drawer, so I'll agree with you, they do look like a perfect match. The doctor did have some good taste," Francine announced.

Lee shook his head, "Well, that fits in the timeline. Squires escaped custody Wednesday during that transport. But today's Monday. Why did she just notice him missing now?"

"Apparently, the doctor was scheduled to go away for a long weekend. He owns a cabin in the woods and was planning a few days off," Francine stated. "It's pretty remote, no phones. She said he heads up there once a month to decompress. Whatever that means."

Lee looked around the room and spotted a few photographs hanging on the wall of the doctor and an older woman. He moved closer to get a better look at one in particular. The couple was standing close together, a small wooden cabin surrounded by trees was visible behind them. He looked to another picture of just the woman alone, a small funeral card tucked into the corner. Reading the caption Lee stated, "Well, Dr. Rizzo lost his wife not all that long ago and if these pictures are any indication, but I bet he goes there to try to feel close to her."

Francine stood beside Lee and agreed, "That could be true. But how does that help us find Amanda?"

Lee shook his head, "I'm not sure, but I'd be willing to bet Squires has his car."

"And they could be anywhere," Francine groaned.

Lee tapped the photograph with one finger. "If Squires hasn't contacted anyone he knows, he must have gone somewhere he felt safe where he wouldn't be found for a while. Why not here?"

"What do you mean?" Francine asked, confused.

"This cabin. If no one was expecting Dr. Rizzo around here and somehow Squires found out Dr. Rizzo was heading to his cabin, then think about it. It would be the perfect hideout," Lee explained. "Harris," he called out loudly.

"Yeah? What can I do for you, Mr. Stetson?" Harris replied as he poked his head through the doorway again.

"Do you have an address or anything for Dr. Rizzo's cabin?" Lee asked, pointing to the picture on the wall.

"Cabin? I'm not sure. Maybe his assistant might know. It could take us a while to find out through regular channels," Harris stated.

Francine took several long strides down the hall and gently rapped on the bedroom door. She stepped inside and Lee could hear her muffled voice followed by a few stilted sobs. She returned a minute later, shaking her head. "She said she's never been there. She knows it's about an hour away but that's about it. Now what?" Francine frowned.

Lee looked around the living room for any type of personal contact book. Not spotting anything, he motioned for Francine and Harris to follow him into the kitchen. On one wall he spotted a handwritten phone number list tacked onto a corkboard. Beneath the board was a stack of mail, some envelopes opened while others remained tightly sealed. Lee picked up the mail and quickly scanned the addresses on the envelopes. "Nothing," he muttered. He dropped the pile back onto the counter and looked at the kitchen table.

"Well, well, well. Looks like Dr. Rizzo was making tea for two. Who do you want to bet was his plus one?" Lee remarked.

"Lee, where are you going with this?" Francine asked suspiciously.

Lee looked around, his mind frantically spinning. "I don't know. I just thought there'd be something here, right here," he groaned.

Francine placed her hand on Lee's shoulder. "Listen, the team is going to be here soon to go over this place with a fine-tooth comb. If there is anything here to tell us where that cabin might be, where Squires might be, they'll find it," she assured him.

Lee exhaled loudly before shaking his head, "I know. Why don't we head back to the office? See what our computers can dig up on Dr. Rizzo and this cabin. Maybe we can find an address faster that way."

Harris nodded his head in agreement. "Our computers are good, but we don't have access to all the land records like I'm sure yours does. Tell you what, I'll have my guys poke around here and if we find anything, I'll give your guy Melrose a call immediately," he stated.

Lee scanned the room once more, hoping some kind of clue would suddenly materialize. "I'll let Billy know you might be calling in," he sighed.

"Listen, I know this guy must be getting on your nerves by now. He's sure gotten on mine," Harris tried to lighten the mood.

The muscle in Lee's jaw twitched wildly as he clenched it tight. "It's not my nerves he's got," Lee retorted before leaving the room.

Harris furrowed his brow and looked at Francine, "Is he always this intense?"

Francine snorted, "Only when someone kidnaps his wife." She followed Lee outside and took several running strides to catch up to him before he slipped into the driver's seat of the Vette. "Hey, Lee, we're going to find them," she assured him as she climbed into the passenger seat.

Without a word, he pulled away from the curb, his fingers drumming nervously on the steering wheel as the tumblers in his mind turned.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

During the drive back to the Agency, Lee milled over everything they had seen at Dr. Rizzo's house. He slammed his hand off the steering wheel multiple times as he tried to remember every detail about the cabin and the surrounding area in the picture. He picked up the phone and called Billy. "Billy, I need you to try to dig up an address for me. Dr. Rizzo owns a cabin," Lee stated.

"Okay," Billy replied grabbing a pen, "What else can you tell me about this cabin?"

"Nothing much. It's about an hour away from his residence," Lee replied with a groan.

"That's it? That's all you've got?" Billy dropped his pen onto the desk.

Lee shook his head, "Well, that's all I could find. I'm sure the computer can spit out an address for you, Billy."

"Come on, man. You know I need a little more information than that. Like whose name is the title under?" Billy reminded him.

Francine glanced over in Lee's direction and inwardly groaned. "Here, give me the phone," she instructed. Lee grudgingly handed the portable receiver to her. "Billy, listen, Harris will be calling you if he finds anything before the team gets there. In the meantime, have Roberta in Records do a thorough analysis of all of Dr. Rizzo's personal holdings. If anyone can find an address, it's her. Don't let Angela do it, only Roberta," she instructed.

"Okay, got it. How is he, Francine? I need to know," Billy dropped his voice.

"Not good," Francine replied then immediately covered up her comment by saying, "If Roberta is out for coffee, wait for her. We're on our way back now. We should be there in about fifteen, twenty minutes." She placed the phone into the car cradle and smiled tensely. "Well, hopefully, Roberta will have an answer for us by the time we get back."

"Thanks, Francine. You're a good friend and I know you've got my back," Lee replied softly.

Francine patted his hand and stated, "Don't start getting all soft on me now, Scarecrow. We still have to find Amanda and Squires."

Lee shook his head, "I'm telling you, Francine, if he's hurt her…" Lee's voice choked up with emotion.

Francine squeezed his hand supportively. "Don't go there," she advised him with a strained smile.

They drove in silence for several more minutes when the phone startled the two of them. "Stetson," Lee answered.

"Lee, hang on. I have Harris on the line. Patching him in now," Billy's voice rang through. Lee tipped the phone slightly to the side so Francine could hear as well. Several loud clicks later, they heard Billy again, "Harris?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Listen, Mr. Stetson, too bad you didn't hang around for just a bit longer. Your boys showed up a few minutes ago and they've already found something you might want to know about," Harris started to explain.

"Oh really?" Lee interjected. "What'd they find?"

"They started with the trash where we found that shirt earlier. Protocol, they photographed it first, pulled it out, bagged it into a large brown bag," Harris began giving all the details.

"Not for nothing, Harris, but can you cut to the chase? What did they find?" Lee snapped impatiently.

"Under the shirt was the matching uniform pants your man Squires was wearing," Harris continued.

"And?" Lee groaned earning a backhand from Francine.

"Let him explain," she whispered with a glare.

"When they were pulling the pants out of the trash, a balled-up piece of paper followed. Now, I'm looking right at it and I'm pretty sure this might be of some use to you," Harris explained.

Lee shook his head and stated, "I don't understand."

"It's a letter from the cabin's caretaker. It reads: _Paul, here are the new keys for the cabin. I wanted to make sure you got them just in case I missed you when you arrived. Mary and I will be back Tuesday so if you need anything, ask Tuck. He can help. Your generator has been primed and you should have plenty of gas for the weekend. Talk to you soon, Bill." _Harris read aloud.

"So, the caretaker just sent him new keys, huh? Squires couldn't have planned that any better himself. But the million-dollar question still stands. Where is this mystery cabin?" Lee snapped.

This time it was Harris who had the answer. "I just got off the phone with a buddy of mine up near Old Forest Camp. That's an old, old hunting area from back in the day. The assistant is right, it's just about an hour away. My Pops used to take me there as a kid. Every cabin has over an acre of land alone, plenty of space to keep to yourself."

"Yeah, so how does that help us?" Lee's patience was wearing extremely thin.

"He spotted Dr. Rizzo's car at the country market in town. And we both know the good Dr. Rizzo wasn't driving," Harris stated smugly.

Lee pursed his lips, his mind now reeling. "What's the fastest way to get there?" he asked.

Harris thought quickly, "Well, do you know where the fairgrounds are near the Marketplace?"

"Yeah, where they just started building that new housing development," Lee confirmed.

"Exactly," Harris stated. "Well, there's an old back road up there, just beyond that. You won't be able to miss it. It's an old logging road, pretty beat up but you won't have any traffic. If you follow that to the end, it will take you right into town."

"Thanks, Harris." He heard a loud click then asked, "Billy, did you get that?" Lee pressed on the gas pedal and began weaving through traffic, earning a few loud honks along the way.

Billy had been noting down everything Harris said, "I got it. Let me see if Roberta can find it easier with this new information. What are you doing now?"

Lee glanced over his shoulder and shot across several lanes of traffic, avoiding another car in the process. "I'm bringing Francine to you. I'm almost at the agency now. Get a TAC team together and I'll meet you there. I can't sit on my hands any longer." He slammed the phone down with a solid bang.

Francine reached up and took hold of the grab bar above her window, "Lee, slow down. It's not going to do us any good if you crash before we even get to the Agency."

Lee eased back on the accelerator but continued to weave through the slower-moving cars around them. He pulled into the parking lot, barely missing Scotty, the parking lot attendant. "Sorry, Scotty!" he called out as he continued past the bewildered young man and into the lot. He stopped short near the back entrance and looked at Francine. "You get Billy and find out exactly where that cabin is," he stated, as the muscle in his cheek twitched.

"Lee, you can't go after them alone," Francine insisted. She could see by the look on his face he wasn't thinking clearly.

"I'm not going alone; you'll be right behind me. I'm just going to get up there before you, see if I can find that car," Lee explained.

"And what are you going to do if you find it, huh? I know you, Lee, and I know you're not thinking clearly right now," Francine declared.

Lee shook his head as a weak smile crossed his face, "I can't hide anything from you any more than I can hide it from Amanda. You're a good friend, Francine, so, you have to understand I have to do this. I need to find her and him."

Francine reached out and touched his arm, "I know I can't stop you short of shooting you, so, just be careful. Amanda needs you to find her in one piece, you got me?"

Lee nodded once, "I got you. Now, get Billy. I need my back up." Francine scrambled out of the car and ran into the building as Lee pulled out of the parking lot muttering, "Hang on just a little longer, Amanda. I'm on my way."


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Oh, come on," Amanda groaned as she wiggled the handcuff again. Tucked inside one of the books Alan had given her, she found a hairpin and was now attempting to pick the lock. She pulled the hairpin out and rolled her eyes at the bent tip. "What I wouldn't give for a diamond rake right now," she muttered. She picked up the book and flipped through the pages once more, looking for another hairpin. When she reached the end of the book she tossed the book aside, frustrated.

She took a deep breath and sighed, "What would Lee tell me to do? Think, Amanda?" She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her elbow on her legs. She massaged her temple with her hand and took several more breaths. "Just stay calm. Assess my surroundings," she instructed herself. Looking around she rolled her eyes, "I've done enough assessing to last till the turn of the century. Next, assess the level of danger." Amanda thought for a moment and said, "Well, Alan hasn't done anything dangerous since we've been here. I mean, he's scared me a few times, but he hasn't tried to hurt me."

Amanda concentrated on the last two days and tried to think of everything that had happened. She knew he had access to drugs to incapacitate her if need be, but he only used them that one time. She hadn't seen any kind of a weapon, no gun or knife that she knew of. "Ok, so I guess I should consider him dangerous because of whatever was in that needle. Check. Now what?" Amanda racked her brain for any clues as to how she should proceed. "I can't get a message to anyone, so, no one knows where I am but maybe I can get to the car without Alan after he comes back." Amanda began running scenarios through her mind how she could get the keys to the car and away from him. Her thoughts were disrupted when she heard the front door open and Alan's voice calling out to her.

"Amanda, I'm back," he called.

Inwardly, Amanda groaned but she replied lightly, "Hi, Alan. I'm here. Where you left me, handcuffed to the bed."

Alan stepped into the bedroom, a smile on his face. "I picked up a bunch of supplies for our trip south," he stated. "I wasn't able to find any shorts this time of year for you, but I did find a few nice sundresses. Those will have to do until we get there," he informed her.

Amanda continued to smile as she assured him, "That's all right. I'm sure they're beautiful. Everything you've picked out so far has been perfect." Alan beamed in her direction. Hoping he was in a good mood still, Amanda lifted her handcuffed arm and asked, "Alan, do you think you could release me? I'm not going anywhere, without you that is."

Alan studied her face for a minute then stepped forward, "Of course, where are my manners?" He pulled the key from his pocket and unlocked the shackle from the bed frame, leaving the one on her wrist. "Why don't you join me in the other room? I'd like to pack up the few items we have around here before we go. Are you hungry? I could make you something to eat first?" Alan fired off questions softly, his voice even and calm.

Amanda looked down at the floor and admitted, "I am a little hungry. That wouldn't be too much trouble?"

Alan took her by the shoulders gently and guided her to the doorway, insisting, "No, no trouble at all. I picked up a few things to make sandwiches, so I hope you don't mind a simple lunch. Nothing grand, not today at least."

In the living room, Amanda noticed a box by the door and another box on the table. She also spotted a small suitcase beside the couch she hadn't noticed before. "Would you mind?" Amanda asked as she glanced at the bathroom door.

"Why would I mind? Amanda, please. Let's think of today as the first day of the rest of our lives together. You don't need to ask my permission for every little thing," Alan stated, his tone still eerily even and cheerful.

Amanda simply smiled in his direction and stepped into the small bathroom once more, her mind whirling. "Ok, Amanda, keep it under control. You'll figure it out. Just take your time, assess the situation and you'll figure it out," she muttered to herself softly. Several minutes later she crossed the room to wash her hands at the sink, Alan was already sitting at the table waiting for her. She noticed her wedding rings on the small windowsill above the sink and fought the urge to reach out and grab them. "What kind of sandwiches did you make, Alan?" she asked as she turned back to face him.

Alan returned her smile and gestured at the empty chair beside him, "I thought chicken salad would be a nice touch. Slightly civilized, anyway. They had some at the market in town and everyone seemed to be getting it, so I took a chance. I hope you don't mind."

Amanda looked down at the neatly cut bread, "I don't mind. I make a pretty good chicken salad myself. I could make that for you sometime if you'd like. With a little toasted wheat and some lettuce. My boys really like it."

"I'm sure it's delicious," Alan stated. He lifted his sandwich and took a bite. "Well, it's not a Three-Star Michelin meal but it's not too bad," he decided.

Amanda followed suit, taking a small bite before agreeing, "No, not bad at all." She finished her first bite and before she took a second one she asked, "So, what can I help you carry to the car? I mean, I'm sure there are a few things I can help you with."

Alan raised an eyebrow in her direction before stating, "You don't have to worry, I'll take care of all of that."

"Well, then at least let me wash the dishes after we finish our lunch," Amanda insisted.

Alan patted her hand with his, ran his knuckles down her cheek and agreed, "If that will make you happy, then, by all means, you can wash the dishes and I'll pack the car."

Amanda fought the urge to flinch as Alan touched her. Instead, she simply smiled again and said, "There's our first plan." Silently she went back to eating her sandwich, her mind reeling once more as she tried to build her own escape plan.

Unbeknownst to her, several miles away, Lee was speeding in her direction. "Dammit!" he yelled as his car bounced through another rut in the dirt road. He had already felt the Vette bottom out once and was afraid to push his speed anymore in fear he would cause irreparable damage and slow his progress to the cabin. He had tried to call Francine's mobile device, but each time was deterred by the out of range auto-message. He focused on the twisting road ahead and did his best to avoid any more potholes.

The sky above him had grown dark despite the time of day. Occasionally a single snowflake drifted past his window but up until this point, the storm was holding off. He lifted the phone again only to discover he now, also, had no service. He tossed the phone aside and continued driving. He spotted what appeared to be an end to the road he was on about a mile ahead and pressed down on the accelerator. The Vette shot forward, but not before slamming into another rut, jerking the wheels to the left, almost out of Lee's control.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Standing at the sink, Amanda took a deep breath as she finished drying the glass in her hand. She watched and waited until Alan stepped outside carrying a box to quickly snatch her rings off the windowsill and slip them into her pocket. She dropped her hands back into the soapy water and jumped when she heard Alan's voice announce, "Almost packed!"

"And I'm almost done here. Just one more glass to go," she called back over her shoulder. She shivered slightly when a cold draft from the door reached her, or maybe, she decided it was the anticipation of what she knew had to come next. "Feels like it's getting colder out there. Has it started snowing yet?"

Alan stomped his feet on the mat near the door, "Just started sticking now. We'll be out of here just in time. If this storm's going to be as bad as they're predicting we would have been stuck here for a few more days at least."

"It's a good thing you had it all planned out then," Amanda stated as she washed and dried the last glass. She carefully drained the water, rinsed the sink and wiped it out with the dishtowel before draping it off the stove handle. Amanda stepped away from the sink and surveyed the room carefully. She had already mentally calculated how many steps it would take her to get to the door once she incapacitated Alan, so now it was time to put her plan into effect. The clearest path to the outside door was from the bedroom door so she moved closer, pretending to look around.

"Missing something?" Alan asked curiously, his body slightly tense.

Amanda raised her hands, the handcuff still dangling off her wrist and smiled, "No, I was just checking to see if we left anything behind before we left. You know, we don't want to leave anything behind to let anyone know we've been here, right."

Alan relaxed and agreed, "I guess you're right. Let's check the bedroom together." He followed closely but stayed near the doorway as she looked around the room. Although the bed was neatly made, she straightened out a solitary wrinkle on the comforter. She neared the doorway and Alan took two steps backward, allowing her space to step through and close the door.

"Alan, I could check the bathroom once more if you'd like," Amanda offered, suddenly uncomfortable with his close proximity.

From somewhere outside, Amanda heard a tree branch snap followed by a series of quiet thumps from somewhere around the cabin. She automatically turned her head in the direction of the sound, her mind trying to determine the cause, but Alan dismissed it when he laughed, "The animals are taking cover from the storm. Don't be afraid, Amanda. We'll be long gone before it gets worse."

"I'm not afraid, Alan," she whispered. She bit her bottom lip and looked up into Alan's intense blue eyes watching her. "Should we continue our walk-through?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

Before he could reply, she spotted movement across the front window and immediately recognized the shape as Lee's. She reached out and touched Alan's chest with one hand, hoping she could keep him distracted long enough for Lee to get inside.

Alan reached out and gently cupped Amanda's chin in his hand, his thumb brushed softly along her cheekbone. He placed his other hand on the door beside her head. "I don't believe I've told you how lovely you truly are, Amanda," he whispered. "And you seem to think of everything, so caring."

"Alan," Amanda gasped just before he began to lean forward, his lips finding hers. She tried to step back but found herself pressed up against the door, Alan's body melded against hers. She struggled to create space, but Alan's position prevented any movement. She finally planted her hands against his chest and pushed with all of her might just as the front door slammed open.

"Squires! Let go of my wife!" Lee demanded, his gun already drawn and pointed at Alan.

"Lee!" Amanda cried, Alan's hands suddenly twisting her around, his arm firmly holding her across her shoulders, his back now pressed against the door.

"You don't think I'm just going to give her up, do you, Stetson? She's mine now," Alan declared coldly. He tried to move his hand behind him and quickly realized he needed more space.

Lee tipped his head to the side slightly as he watched Amanda struggle against Alan. "She's not a possession, Squires. We have our lives together with our family," Lee stated matter of factly.

Alan watched Lee, his eyes cold and intense, "What makes you think she would want to stay with someone like you? She deserves better than you."

"What deceiving and manipulative? You think that's better?" Lee snapped. He exhaled slowly as he tried to get a grip on his emotions which threatened to take control.

"And you think your arrogance is better? What about the respect and the romance she deserved. Even Dotty saw that," Alan taunted.

Lee's jaw twitched again, "And what would you know about respect? You did nothing but lie to her."

"And you thought you were so much better than her," Alan sneered. He grinned at Lee as he added, "I appreciated her beauty." He began slowly sliding Amanda forward to create space behind him.

"Her beauty? You only appreciated what you got by manipulating her," Lee rolled his eyes.

"Manipulating? Is that what you call it?" Alan chose his words slowly.

Lee snorted, "And you don't?"

"What about her loyalty? You never appreciated that," Alan groaned.

"What would you know about loyalty?" Lee flexed his fingers around the handle of the gun once more.

Alan blinked several times before he said, "I used to believe I was only loyal to myself and then one day I realized how important Amanda truly was. How beautiful she was not just on the outside but on the inside as well, and yet, you never appreciated that. I dreamt so many nights how I would find her and give her what she really deserved, my undying loyalty. And when the time came, I knew I could finally act on it." Alan held Amanda tightly against him. He partially closed his eyes as he rested his cheek against Amanda's head and inhaled, "She smells like a dream, Stetson. Too bad you'll never experience that again."

Amanda turned her head away from Alan, her brown eyes searching for Lee's hazel ones as she whispered softly, "Lee."

"I said, let her go!" Lee demanded again through clenched teeth. "She's not yours. She never was. She never will be." It was taking every inch of self-control for Lee to hold the gun in his hands steady as he watched Alan nudge Amanda forward. A bead of sweat trickled down Lee's face as he fought against the rage building inside of him. The stress of the last few days was finally taking its toll on him. Instead of losing control, he focused on Amanda's wide eyes at that very moment. She held his gaze and raised an eyebrow before glancing downward.

Seemingly, from out of nowhere, a small handgun appeared in Alan's hand. He held it beside Amanda's temple and laughed. From outside in the distance, a small siren sound was heard echoing through the trees, followed by another. "Sounds like you're not alone, Stetson. Now, how is that a fair fight?" Alan challenged. He gripped Amanda's shoulder tightly with his fingers, while the other appeared relaxed on the handle of the gun.

Lee knew he didn't have a clear shot at Squires so he continued to talk, hoping one or two more steps might make all the difference. "Why'd you kill the doctor? What did he do to you?" Lee asked.

Alan laughed loudly, "Dr. Rizzo was a generous fellow. Offered me some tea, the use of his telephone and when all was said and done, his car and his cabin. I guess I could have been a little nicer to the man but then again, who said I was ever nice."

"I think you've been very nice, Alan," Amanda whispered, her voice shaking with fear. "You've been very nice to me since we've been here. You've kept me warm and made meals for me. Bought me some new clothes." Alan pushed her forward one more step slowly, her hands clinging to the arm barred across her shoulders. Lee just watched, knowing full well Alan could shoot him clearly at any time. Amanda continued to talk, "You even talked about all the nice places we were going to visit."

Outside, the sirens were getting closer. Lee adjusted his grip on his gun slightly as Alan blinked steadily. Amanda relaxed her hands slowly, maintaining eye contact with Lee as she asked, "That was in the Dominican Republic, wasn't it?" Without waiting for a reply, she asked, "What was the name of that fishing village again?"

Alan never had time to answer as Amanda quickly stomped down on his foot and swung her hands upward, the handcuff still dangling off her wrist. She felt the metal make contact, heard his yelp of pain just before she lunged forward.

The only sound in the room was a loud boom as both men fired their weapons at the same time. Amanda twisted to the side before crashing to the floor. She watched as Lee crumpled before her and heard a hollow thud sounded from behind.

"Lee!" she cried; her voice hoarse. She tried to pull herself to him but found her body wracked with pain. When she touched her side, her hand came away, covered in her own blood. She watched in horror as a dark stain slowly appeared on the side of his shirt. "Lee," she whispered as tears formed in her eyes.

Using every bit of strength she had left, she dragged herself across the floor to Lee's unconscious body. "Sweetheart, Lee, stay with me," she begged as she pulled his hand into hers. His fingers were cool to her touch and by the time she heard Francine and Billy's voices outside, she was descending into her own darkness.

***** No Spoilers in Reviews Please! *****

**Authors' Notes:**

To all the readers who made it this far with us, thanks for taking the trip to the dark side. This has been the most challenging story I have attempted and if it wasn't for the ongoing support and constant ass-kicking from my partner in crime and co-author, Karen La Manna, it never would have happened.

I also want to give a shout-out to the people that had to tolerate our teasing cliffhangers and constant edits to help us put out the best story we could. I hate naming names as I will forever forget someone but if we've tortured you with previews… you know who you are!

~TA

First and foremost, I want to thank you, all of our readers for giving us so much love and respect. Thank you to all our guest reviewers as well. Without all of your support, we wouldn't have been able to write and continue this dark journey. You guys are best and we love you all.

To my cohort and my partner in crime, Tracey Arcieri you are the best. You made me proud to write this alongside you. You took to this challenge going out of your comfort zone and handled it like a champ. As I am used to writing the darker stuff it was a little easier for me. I hope I taught you some new things as I know you have definitely shown me some new things as well. Tracey was right, we fought through this for many endless hours and rewrites. But, it was worth it til the end. Thanks!

* Karen


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